


Secrets of the Past

by EmEm_12



Category: Fate: The Winx Saga (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Happy, Magic, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Past Lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:20:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29772609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmEm_12/pseuds/EmEm_12
Summary: Farah's dead and Rosalind's in control. Bloom tries to find out more about her past. In the end, everything starts to work out.
Comments: 54
Kudos: 108





	1. Back to Alfea

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure where this is going, just loved the whole Bloom-Farah mother daughter relationship. If you find any errors, feel free to leave them in the comments! Enjoy!
> 
> This is the first fic I've written, so its probably not the best it could be, but I tried. There is more coming!
> 
> Minor language.
> 
> I'd like to inform everyone that this account is co-owned and used, and that Em 1 is writing this fic, and Em 2 is proofreading!
> 
> All characters belong to Fate, Winx.

Bloom was back in the garden. Since Rosalind took over Alfea three weeks ago, Bloom had grown more and more distant from the rest of the winx group. The entire school in fact. She continued to travel to this garden day after day, without really knowing why. She sat there, on the simple garden bench, staring at the seven graves before her. Thoughts whirled through her mind. Rosalind had completely changed Alfea. It was no longer a school. It was a war camp. Rosalind took over Dowling’s classes, focusing on power, not control. When she didn’t get the best results she always resorted to negative emotions. Instead of the uplifting feeling you felt when you achieved something new in Dowling’s classes, Rosalind broke you down again and again. Everything was spiraling out of control. Chaotic magic was becoming ever more prominent, and there were no friendly conversations in the courtyard or hallways. 

Bloom sighed,” We need you back Ms. Dowling. Please, come back,” she furiously wiped away the tears starting to fall. “We know you didn’t go on a sabbatical. You would never leave the school to her, just pick up everything and leave. Where are you? Are you beneath the school, imprisoned like Rosalind was? Or what!” Bloom's voice rose steadily, and more tears began to fall, streaming down her face. She shook silently, staring at her lap as the tears soaked her jeans. When she looked up a while later, her voice was hesitant and quiet,” You’ve always been here for us. For me. You brought me here. You never stopped believing in me, even when I thought I was hopeless. I mean, you faced a burned one for me, by yourself. You came after me when I left, protected me, surrounded me with people I could trust with my life. You were always there. You knew I went out there. To lead the burned ones away from Alfea. You were there. You caught me when I fell, supported me through everything. You made, no make me feel like I belong. More than my own mother. I, I. I miss you. And I’m going to find you. I promise. Even if I have to go against Rosalind to do it. I’m gonna bring you home,” Bloom lapsed into silence and stared at the graves, not bothering to try and stem the flow of tears. She let out a sob and buried her head in her hands. Eventually, she took out a book, tucked her legs under her, and started to read. Slowly the tears subsided, and she entered a world of peace. When she looked up a while later, she realized how late it was. Sighing, she picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, before heading back up to school. She saw no one on the way back, which didn’t surprise her in the slightest. 

“Bloom! There you are. We’ve been looking everywhere. Why didn’t you answer your texts!” Bloom smiled as she walked through the door of the suite. Terra jumped up and came to take her bag. Stella was sitting on one of the couches, legs crossed, frowning slightly. Musa and Aisha were sitting on the other couch facing one another, deep in some sort of game. Both looked up at Bloom and smiled in relief. With a grin, Bloom made her way over and took the spot next to Stella that Terra had vacated. 

“Sorry. Phone died,”

“Where were you? The sun went down half an hour ago? We were worried sick!” 

Bloom smiled apologetically,” Sorry Aish. Lost track of time. I was down in the garden,” Aisha glanced at her worriedly. 

“You’ve been down there a lot recently. Are you alright? You can talk to us. You know that,” 

Bloom nodded slightly. The problem was that she didn’t know why she kept going down there. Her feet just seemed to have a mind of their own. And she had a feeling. This feeling, that some piece of the puzzle was there. A crucial piece. Something that would give her all the answers she needed. 

“I know Aish. I don’t know why I keep going back. I just feel like something happened there, and I want to find out what,” 

“I don’t know. You might be right. Auntie Farah loved that spot. She’d go there whenever she was frustrated,” Terra shrugged. Everyone stared at the ground, defeated. 

“Let’s get some rest. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day, and everyone needs their beauty sleep,” Stella tried to smile happily, and failed miserably. She gave up and walked to her room. Musa and Terra also got up and left. 

“We’ll figure this out, Bloom. I promise,” Aisha rested a hand on Bloom’s and they smiled at each other. 

“I really don’t know what I’d do without you Aish,” Bloom tugged her into a hug, and they too went to their rooms. 

“Bloom, you seem distracted. Is something bothering you?” Rosalind lifted a thin eyebrow slightly. Bloom jumped and shrugged sheepishly. The two were in the middle of Bloom’s private lesson in what was once Dowling’s office. However it now resembled nothing like Dowling’s. In place of the soft couches and armchairs were long wooden tables, oftentimes strewn with maps and charts. Occasionally Bloom saw lists of places or names and future locations to move troops. All plant life was gone from the room, along with most of the trinkets that littered the desk and sat on the shelves with the books. Only three shelves of said books remained, the rest of the shelves were bare. The second floor of the office wasn’t much better. The farthest, darkest corner of the loft area sported 50 or so boxes that seemed to have been shoved away hastily. The lights were brighter and the walls were now lined with pictures of Rosalind and her Light Battalion. Dowling was not present in any of the pictures, and Silva was only there in a few. Swords and other cruel looking weapons also lay on the empty shelves, or adorned the walls. The carpets were gone, only the hardwood floor remained, and the windows and doors sported extra locks and bolts. 

“Err. Sorry, I was just thinking. About. Things,” Bloom trailed off under Rosalind’s gaze. The eyebrow went higher. 

“Such as?” Rosalind prompted, guiding Bloom to the door. At Bloom’s questioning look she stated that teaching someone who wasn’t paying any attention would only result in headaches for both parties. They strode through the halls, or Rosalind strode and Bloom scrambled to keep up. Any student they passed stepped aside so they had a clear path to the door. Across the lawn, past the specialists training with Andreas, and towards the garden. Sky caught Bloom’s eye and waved slightly. Bloom waved back and continued behind Rosalind. Eventually Rosalind set down on the same bench Bloom frequented the past few weeks. She patted the spot beside her and Bloom sat down hesitantly. 

“Now then, what’s on your mind my dear?”

Bloom scrambled to find an answer that wasn’t finding Dowling, or overthrowing Rosalind. So she said the next thought in her mind,” My parents. Not my Earth parents, but my real ones. There’s so much I don’t know about them. Why was I in Aster Dell? Did they come looking for me, and if they did, are they still looking? Are they even alive?” Rosalind nodded slightly and gave Bloom an appraising look, as if trying to decide what to say in this situation. 

“Well Bloom. I really had hoped you could continue with your studies a while longer before this resurfaced. Dreadful ordeal. I’m afraid I can’t give you any more information about your past then I have. But let’s be frank. That’s not what you were thinking about, was it. No, no, no. Thinking about Farah I assume. Hoping she’d come back to help you? Sweetie, you need to stop pretending she’s going to come back. She’s not. She didn’t care about any of you. I caught her trying to flee Alfea. I begged her not to leave, but Farah’s always been stubborn. She started a fight and I was forced to deal with her,”

“No!” Bloom stood up abruptly and backed away from Rosalind,” No. She would never flee Alfea. I know that. Everyone knows that! You did something to her didn’t you. Where is she?” Bloom threw caution to the wind as she yelled. It felt so good to finally pin Rosalind down. 

Rosalind smiled and shook her head,” Oh dear. You’ve caught me. I’ll tell you a little secret, just now. Farah dear, is closer than you think. She came here to this garden, to bury the six, yes six,” Rosalind emphasized as Bloom’s face widened in surprise, then fear,” Burned ones you killed. I suggested she take a break, she refused, and you can guess what happened next,” With a wicked smile Rosalind turned her attention to one of the graves. Six lined the edge of a tall hedge, all straight and parallel. A seventh however lay crooked in the center of the clearing. Bloom gasped and ran to the grave. She began clawing at the dirt. Further and further down, until she found something. A scarf. It was caked with mud, but at some point Bloom assumed it was white, with colorful marbled patterns. She knew who it belonged to immediately. After all, Farah Dowling wore the scarf all the time. She let out a strangled sob, and dug feverishly. Cursing silently she suddenly stood up, and forced the dirt away with magic. Her eyes briefly glowed orange, masked by the tears that were forming in her eyes. Her headmistress lay at her feet battered and broken. She fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around the older woman’s shoulders, positioning her so that Farah’s head lay in her lap. A long jagged cut ran along her neck, blood and dirt covering everything in a nasty mess. Bloom balked as she saw a piece of something sticking out through the grime. Something oddly white. Forcing her eyes away from the thing, she saw that all the once beautiful clothes that the headmistress wore were permanently dyed brown. Spatters of blood peppered her jacket, and part of her blouse. Everything was completely saturated with mud and water. She looked a complete mess. Her hair had come out of its elegant knot, and lay plastered to her neck and head, matted and tangled. The rest stuck out at odd angles, held by the layers of dirt and grime. To make matters worse, if Bloom moved, her head fell to the side at a very odd angle. Bloom balked again, and felt the vomit taste in the back of her throat. She trembled as she held the headmistress, tears beginning to break free yet again. And then Rosalind moved. 

“Pity it had to end that way. She just didn’t have what it took to lead Alfea into the coming war dear. And she wouldn’t step aside. It really was my only option,”

Bloom’s voice shook,” Your only option! To kill her? I don’t, I don’t believe that. I can’t. It’s you. You’re a monster!” Bloom sobbed, clutching Dowling hard to keep from shaking. 

Rosalind chuckled, and Bloom gaped at her. 

“How can you stand there laughing. This is your doing! You killed her in cold blood. She's dead because of you. Don’t you have any remorse, regret even?” 

“Oh, I regret it,” Rosalind’s voice turned icy,” And I didn’t do it in cold blood. I thought after everything, you would have figured that out. Farah didn’t need to die, but she got in my way, and she was expendable. So are you. You know, you’re quite like her. Brilliant, powerful, naturally talented, loyal to a fault, but that was to be expected. I’ll do you a favor and tell your friends you said goodbye before you went back to Earth. I’ll also bury you right here with Farah. I’m assuming that will make you happy,” Rosalind’s eyes glowed and Bloom tensed up, unable to move. Only stare up at Rosalind with as much hatred showing on her face as she could muster, “Farah got what she deserved. She lied to you and countless others, imprisoned me beneath my own school, betrayed her closest allies, the list goes on and on. I truly am sorry it had to end this way Bloom, but life isn’t fair,” 

Bloom felt a calmness wash over her. The glow in Rosalind’s eyes intensified, then faltered.

“Touch her, and I promise you that I will do what I couldn’t 16 years ago,” The voice that came from behind Bloom was cold. 

Rosalind gaped, “How!” She yelled in shock and anger. 

Bloom realized she could move, and that the weight in her lap was gone. Looking down she saw that the headmistress was fading. She whirled around and gasped in shock. Farah Dowling leaned against a large, sturdy, oak tree, looking perfectly at ease, aside from the glare that creased her face. She didn’t look much better than the headmistress in the dirt had. She was also covered in dirt and grime, though not as much. The cut on her neck was missing, thankfully, but her hair had fallen down, and was plastered to her clothes and head quite thickly. The big difference was that this Dowling was most clearly alive and breathing. And looking positively murderous. 

Rosalind quickly regained her composure. A small frown now inhabited her face instead of the thin smile,” Ahh. Pleasure to see you again Farah dear. Alive and well,”

“Save it,” Farah said bitterly, “I’m here, alive, much to your apparent disappointment, and I’m ready to retake my position as headmistress of Alfea,”

“Oh, are you sure? Relax, take a break from work Farah. I’m perfectly capable of running this school,” Rosalind said slowly. She smiled gently and gave Dowling a worried look. Bloom rolled her eyes at the act. Dowling seemed to have the same idea. 

“Yes. I can see that. The chaotic magic and planned rebellions are a wonderful indication,” Farah replied sarcastically. 

Rosalind glowered, “Well then. I’m sorry Farah, but the position isn’t yours anymore. And you can’t take it back,” Rosalind shot Farah an evil smile, and her eyes glowed. 

“Bloom move!” Bloom turned her head back to Farah, and pushed herself backward quickly. Farah watched her go. 

“Keep your eyes on the enemy Farah. You of all people should know that,” Rosalind yelled. Apparently Dowling had watched Bloom for too long, and much to the teens horror, she was pushed back by Rosalind’s magic, hard. She hit the ground with a dull thud and let out a low groan. 

“I thought I taught you better than this Farah. You're even softer than you used to be,” Rosalind said, advancing on the downed headmistress. 

“You did,” Farah propped herself up on her elbow, and flicked her hand. Rosalind shielded herself too late and was forced to duck around thousands of little twigs. They peppered her, scratching at her bare skin. Dowling used the advantage to regain her ground and prepare for a fight. 

Rosalind growled with fury, and the little sticks were crushed into dust which floated lazily down to her feet as she again came towards Dowling, “Clever trick, but it’s not going to help you win this fight,”

“Perhaps not, but you continue to underestimate me. I’ve grown more powerful than you know. All I had to do was focus on the happy things in my life. Everything you ever taught was wrong Rosalind! Magic is beautiful, and powerful. You can power it with good emotions. You can make it stronger, grow, bring life,”

Rosalind cut her off, “Oh you were miserable you little bitch. Everyone knew it,”

You’re wrong. I wasn’t miserable. It was you. Always you. You destroy lives. Force people to channel their magic and to do your bidding with it. Countless innocent people died. And you didn’t care in the slightest,” Farah stepped forward and glared down at Rosalind. It was quite impressive. 

“What are you going to do about it Farah? I’ll kill you again, in front of the entire school. Humiliate you in front of your precious little students. And then? Maybe I’ll play with a few, maybe not, it all depends on you,” She smiled triumphantly at Farah. 

“I’ll say this once. You. Will. Never. Touch. My. Students. Again!” Farah’s eyes glowed and the air crackled with magic. For the first time Bloom realized Rosalind actually looked worried. She backed away slightly and threw a ball of what looked like lightning at Farah. Farah swatted it aside and advanced on Rosalind. With a snap of her fingers, Rosalind was thrown back. She hit a tree with a sickening crack, and slid down to her knees. 

“You were right Farah. I did underestimate you,” Rosalind glared up at Dowling, her voice shallow. To Bloom’s great surprise she grinned, “What are you going to do Farah. Kill me. You couldn’t. Even if you could, I wouldn’t suggest it. You’d never know the real story,” 

“What,” Farah ground out. She was glaring so vehemently that if looks could kill, Rosalind would have died five times already. 

“Oh dear. Quite a predicament,” Rosalind leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes, “Let’s see. Where to begin. Hmm. Ah, here we go. The Alfea forest. Sector 14? Yes, I remember it well. I’m sure you do to Farah dear,” Bloom crept forward so that she could hear what was being said. 

“What more is there to tell exactly? It’s a pretty self explanatory story if you ask me,” Farah stated bitterly. 

“The story you know is certainly quite self explanatory, but not entirely true. You see, I would never have killed the dear child. She was of your blood, therefore she would become extremely powerful. Honestly to do such a thing would be quite stupid. I simply took the dear girl, and switched her with another child,” 

“And killed the innocent baby. Forgive me for not believing you, but nothing you just said makes any sense,”

“Patience was never your strongest attribute. I didn’t kill the child I took. I merely waited for the heart malfunction to kill it. Snap the dead child’s neck, make it look convincing, and voila. The perfect story. But it was so much better than that. I find myself being rescued not by Beatrix, but the child I placed in human hands so many years ago. Right here under your nose. You’ve been teaching your daughter the whole time. You found her in the first world and brought her here. Trained her to use her magical abilities. And you never figured it out. So naive Farah,” 

Farah’s composure crumpled completely. She stared at Rosalind, shaking her head. Her hand was at her mouth, and her eyes were full of understanding, anger, and fear, “I. I don’t. No. You didn’t. You’re lying!,” Rosalind just smiled up at her, “No. Oh my god. This can’t be happening. No. No. Wake up Farah. Please no,” she stuttered, and Bloom made the connection. 

Rosalind smiled triumphantly, and waved a hand, “Goodbye Farah, Bloom,” With that, she was gone. Vanished on the spot. The pair stood in silence staring at the tree. 

Bloom broke the silence, “So um, apparently we’re related now. Not awkward at all. I guess,” She trailed off waiting for Farah to do something. She had her back to Bloom, and spoke quietly. 

“I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t,” She turned on her heel and made her way to the bench. Bloom sat beside her. 

“I know that. I mean, it could be worse right?” Farah flinched and Bloom continued hurriedly, “Honestly, at least I found my birth parents. Parent. And she’s pretty amazing,” 

“Probably not what you anticipated. A broken confused mother who had no idea of any of it until she gave it to me on a silver platter,”

“No. This is better,” Farah looked at Bloom questioningly, “I just found out that the one person who has been there for me this entire year is my mom. My real mom,” Bloom laughed, grinning childishly at Farah. 

“You’re really not upset by any of this? I’m no one's first choice of mother material. Honestly,” 

“You’re my first choice,” Bloom launched herself onto Farah, who only tensed for a moment, before wrapping her arms around Bloom and pulling her close. She rested her chin on top of Bloom’s fiery hair and sighed happily. Bloom smiled. This felt good. It felt right. She felt like this was where she belonged. Farah smiled as she felt Bloom bury her head in her neck. 

“Oh!” Bloom pulled away from Farah, and looked her in the eyes, “We should probably go make sure Andreas and Beatrix don’t kill everyone in the new fighting class,” 

“The new what?” 

“Rosalind decided that fairies should learn to fight like specialists. And I think she wants specialists to learn how to fight magic,” 

“Oh dear,” Farah sighed and stood up. Bloom opened her mouth as she stood up as well, and Farah continued, “I know you have questions, and I promise I will do my best to answer them, but I need to make sure that the school is alright,”

“Ok, but are we gonna tell anyone about, errr, anything?”

Farah contemplated the question, “I believe that’s your choice. If you’d rather forget about the whole incident, then I will support your choice. If you’d like to tell your friends and keep it secret from everyone else, or tell the world. This is your decision,” 

“But it affects you too,” Bloom said pointedly. 

Farah sighed, “I personally don’t care if it affects my reputation, or my position. I’d rather you be happy,” She gestured to Bloom, and they began the walk back to school, side by side. 

“Everyone should know,”

“Are you certain? Being affiliated with me might affect your life, and not necessarily in positive ways,” Bloom sighed internally as she watched the emotions flick across Farah’s face. 

“I want people to know. If you want them to,”

“Of course I do. I lost you once, and I’m not going to do so again. However, it’s not my place to decide,” She let out a pained breath. Bloom noticed that she wasn’t walking with her usual presence. Instead of the surefooted, protective, powerful fairy everyone was used to, there was a sad, hurt, broken human. She limped slightly, and a slight grimace creased her face.


	2. Back to Alfea (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to get rid of the rest of Rosalind's supporters!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure where this is going, just loved the whole Bloom-Farah mother daughter relationship. If you find any errors, feel free to leave them in the comments! Enjoy!
> 
> This is the first fic I've written, so its probably not the best it could be, but I tried. There is more coming!
> 
> I'd like to inform everyone that this account is co-owned and used, and that Em 1 is writing this fic, and Em 2 is proofreading!

“Of course I do. I lost you once, and I’m not going to do so again. However, it’s not my place to decide,” She let out a pained breath. Bloom noticed that she wasn’t walking with her usual presence. Instead of the surefooted, protective, powerful fairy everyone was used to, there was a sad, hurt, broken human. She limped slightly, and a slight grimace creased her face. 

Bloom was about to address the situation when they reached the edge of the forest. Specialists were still training below in the valley. She heard a snap, and turned back to Farah. Then she let out a startled yell. Standing in Dowling’s place was Rosalind, grin and all. 

“Quiet down please. I don’t need Andreas coming to investigate. Relax Bloom. It’s me. We’re going to have to reveal ourselves, and doing so in front of Andreas and Beatrix would not be the best way to do it. I hardly have enough strength to take them both on directly after the debacle in the forest,” 

“Ahh, yea,” Bloom said dumbly. Farah rolled her eyes. 

“You’re going to need to act like I’m actually Rosalind. I’m going to go straight to my office. I’d like you to follow me down the hill, and we’ll inform Beatrix and Andreas to meet me in my office after lessons. I suppose you should come as well, it will give me a wonderful reason to make sure that no one barges in on the friendly reunion,” Bloom nodded, and Farah walked out of the edge of the wood. Bloom hurried behind her, remembering to stay a few paces behind as they descended the hill. Beatrix watched from her place at the bottom, a sinister grin on her face. 

“Hello Rosalind, nice stroll in the forest?” 

“Yes, yes. Bloom and I had many things to discuss. Some new information has come to light, and I’d like to see you and Andreas in my office after your lesson finishes,” Farah’s impersonation of Rosalind was flawless. 

“Of course. I’ll inform father, and meet you in 20 or so minutes. Bloom,” She looked Bloom over coldly, a far fetch from the way she had been addressing Rosalind. Bloom’s smile seemed to infuriate her further, and she turned and stomped away muttering under her breath. The Farah-Rosalind watched her skeptically, before turning towards Alfea and continuing on her way. Once they were out of earshot of everyone Bloom sped up to whisper quietly to Farah. 

“Err, so, um, Rosalind kind of changed your office. Like, a lot,” 

She waved a hand dismissively at Bloom and stated calmly that, “It was to be expected. Rosalind never liked extra trinkets or books. Everything was either of use to the cause, or entirely useless,” Regardless of the airy confidence in her tone, Bloom could tell that she dreaded seeing the damage Rosalind had caused. They made it through the school in record time, and ten minutes later they were walking through the door to the headmistress’s office. Farah shuddered involuntarily at the darkness of the room. 

“Well then. This will need to be, mmm, changed. But that will have to wait,” She stepped around the desk and seated herself in the chair. She gestured for Bloom to sit across from her. It was the only other chair in the room. They didn’t speak as both were lost in thought. They were brought back to reality by a single sharp knock on the door. 

“Enter,” Farah called out, and Professor Harvey stepped into the room. He moved quickly, discomfort apparent on his face. 

“You called me Headmistress?” 

“Yes, yes, I did indeed. The rest of our party should be arriving momentarily,” Another knock sounded through the room, “Enter, then we can begin this meeting,” 

Beatrix entered the room, her smirk back on her face. Andreas followed behind, looking about the room lazily as he entered. Third came Queen Luna, and Bloom realized she hadn’t informed Farah that Luna had been staying at the school. However Farah showed no surprise at seeing her. 

“Welcome everyone. Now that we are all assembled, why don’t we get down to business,” Farah stood up and walked to stand in front of Luna, “As you can all assume, some new information has come to light. However we can’t be sure of the source, so I’d like the permission to bring Saul Silva here for questioning,” It wasn’t a question. More a demand. Luna shivered and backed up. 

“Bring, bring him here? Well yes, I suppose. However it will take a while to set up an armed escort, and everything else. Could anyone else verify this new information? Anyone at all?” She stuttered quickly. 

“No. Unfortunately it’s the only way. However none of the security measures will be needed,” Luna scoffed at this statement, “Do you have a problem with that Luna?” Luna looked at Farah indignantly, but shook her head all the same. 

“Good, good. Now then. I suppose we shall proceed? Harvey! I believe Farah once owned a trinket, some sort of dimensional portal? Portable and whatnot. Where is it?” 

“Ah, it should be in the boxes on the second floor,” 

“Find it. Now,” Harvey scurried from his position by the door to find whatever trinket Farah wanted. 

“A trinket to open a portal doesn’t exist. It’s impossible,” Beatrix decided to join the conversation now. 

“Farah loved to toy with gadgets. She was able to create a portable dimensional portal that feeds off of the one powered by Alfea. Some of her best work. However, we’ll need to be quick. The portal only remains stable for a few minutes,” 

“Got it!” Harvey came back down the staircase swiftly with a little black box in his hands. As he reached the foot of the stairs it lifted out of his hand and floated into the middle of the room. 

“So this things gonna open a portal? Doesn’t look like much,” 

“Beatrix, I’m astonished at the lack of patience you hold. Watch and wait. Luna summon your magic,” 

“What? Why do I need to summon my magic? This is ridiculous!” Luna shrieked. 

“Summon it, because the only magic that will allow a portal directly to Silva’s cell is the magic of the royal family. You. Do it now,” Farah glared at Luna who quickly summoned a ball of light, much like the kind Stella used in pictures. 

“That work?” 

With a sigh Farah waved her hand and the little box began to shake violently. With a crack it split into four smaller squares. Two floated down to the floor and embedded themselves in the hardwood. The other two shot up, and seemed to hang in mid air. The air crackled with power. Bloom watched in shock as golden threads connected each square, and began weaving themselves across one another. Light radiated off the threads, brighter and brighter, until Bloom had to look away. And then everything was still. 

When Bloom opened her eyes, she saw Luna cowering in place, her ball of magic gone, an expression of shock on her face. Andreas and Beatrix had backed up against the far wall. Harvey still had his eyes closed, but had stayed in the same place otherwise. And Farah was leaning on the desk as if this was an everyday ordinary thing. 

“Our portal is ready now. Thank you for your contribution Luna,” Farah stepped forward and gestured to an inky black vortex. Luna nodded, mouth still open. 

“Right then. Through you go Andreas,” Andreas stared at her, “Now!

Andreas stepped up to the portal hesitantly and reached towards it. Just as his fingers were swallowed by the vortex, he was pushed back by a pair of strong arms. Following the arms came a long muscular body, and an unshaven head. 

“Still wimpy Andreas?” 

“Saul!” Harvey rushed forward and began fussing over Silva. Silva grinned, caught him, and pulled him into a hug. 

“It’s nice to see you again,” 

“Nice to be back,” Silva replied gruffly. Beatrix coughed and Silva turned to her, “Still making everyone’s lives difficult are you? Why am I here Rosalind? What do you want?” 

“Such a touchy attitude. All I want are answers,” 

“And why would I give you anything,” 

“You really have no choice,” Farah pointed out, “Here is my first question. Why is it that every time I’m left to watch the school with you, you get yourself drunk,” Silva and Harvey stared. 

“What now? What does that,” Luna was interrupted by a startling laugh. 

“Oh gods. What’s the fun of watching a school without getting drunk?” Saul said grinning. Harvey smirked at him.

“You duped them good didn’t you?” Harvey walked up to Farah and nudged her. 

“Mmm, yes. In fact, I did,” Rosalind grinned, snapped, and Farah was back. Beatrix gasped from behind Bloom, Luna and Andreas just stared. Andreas looked livid, and Luna dumbfounded, “You should really see the looks on your faces. Priceless!” Farah pushed up from the edge of the desk and sauntered over to Luna. Thank you Luna, for holding Saul for me, but I’ll need him back on the teaching staff at Alfea. You may release him back to my care. 

“Where the hell is Rosalind,” Andreas growled. He drew his sword and pointed it at Farah. Saul stepped forward, and Harvey pulled him back. 

“Rosalind is taking a sabbatical. I don’t know where she is. She left when she knew she had been beaten,” Farah said cooly. 

“You can’t take all three of us on Farah, so why even try? You think you can have the school back? There’s no way we’ll let you,” 

“Funny. Rosalind said almost exactly the same thing. I’m not asking for it back. I’m taking it,” Farah’s eyes glowed and Andreas charged forward. Deftly avoiding the blade, Farah turned around and slammed him against the wall. Beatrix and Luna both summoned their magic as Farah shielded herself, Harvey, Saul, and Bloom. Their attacks did nothing to break down the barrier, and Farah grinned at them. Both began pelting the shield with their powers. 

“They never learn do they? Luna you could never break through Farah’s shields then, why do you think you’ll be able to now,” Harvey called, shaking his head dramatically. 

Andreas got to his feet and ran at the shield head on. He passed right through it, and into Farah’s clutches. With a flick of her head he soared through the void. She turned back to the oncoming fight, and lowered the barrier. Beatrix charged forward, and summoned lightning to her finger tips. Farah dodged it, and it too was swallowed by the vortex. A number of the weapons along the walls floated lazily off of their stands, before pelting at Beatrix, who narrowly missed being torn apart. Now trying not to be maimed, she continued to scramble in and out of range of the weapons. They herded her forward through the portal, and Luna remained. She glanced around at the remaining company, frowned, and slid through the portal after Beatrix. The squares closed with a snap, and the cube floated to land in Farah’s hand. 

“Luna’s always been a coward. Didn’t want to face you head on,” Saul growled, walking to Farah. He pulled her into a gentle embrace, which she returned. 

“So I guess the school is a Dowling-Silva show again?” Harvey followed in Saul’s steps and embraced Farah. 

“It would appear so,” Farah replied grinning, “Are you alright Bloom?” 

Bloom, who hadn’t moved since they walked into the office, started, and looked up at Farah. She nodded and stood up. 

“Yea. I’m alright,” Farah nodded slightly, and walked over to stand behind Bloom. Bloom leaned back, and felt Farah’s arms wrap around her comfortingly. She melted into the embrace. Harvey and Silva stared, disbelief etching their faces. Farah took no notice, gently rocking back and forth with Bloom. 

“Err, Farah? Are you alright,” Farah let out a sigh of annoyance and Harvey face palmed. 

“Saul, you really need to work on your people skills. I’ll be perfectly alright in an hour or so, once I’ve taken a shower and changed. I might even feel human again,” She let out a bitter laugh, “Rosalind revealed some fun little details about the incident in the Alfean forest 16 years ago. Mainly about Hope. Oh come on. Make the connection. Even I figured it out quicker than this,” 

A look of dawning crossed Harvey’s face and he smiled happily at Farah. Saul watched the exchange with increasing annoyance. 

“Alright, what! Talk to me people,” 

Harvey sighed, “Saul, Bloom is Hope and vise versa. Farah’s daughter, Hope. At least I’m assuming that's why she’s grinning like the cheshire cat,” 

“Am not!” Farah shot back indignantly. 

“You are, and Rosalind killed Hope after Aster Dell, didn’t she? She destroyed everything in the house. There’s no way,” 

“I think Farah has an explanation for that. At least I hope so,” He gave Farah a pointed look. 

“Maybe I’ll feel more human in a couple hours. This might take longer than anticipated. Come on, find a seat. It’s going to be a long story,” Farah released Bloom and began towards the staircase up to the loft. Ben stepped forward swiftly and grabbed her arm. 

“You tell the story while I check you over Farah. Relax. Then you can unpack your stuff,” He guided Farah back to the chair behind her desk and pushed her down into it gently. She gave him a disgruntled look, and settled herself sulkily. 

“None of us like Rosalind’s decor choice Farah, but you aren’t going to win this fight. So stop pouting and let Ben do his job,” Saul called as he made his way up to the loft. He returned with two more folding chairs. Bloom took one and set it down next to Farah’s. Saul and Ben sank into chairs opposite them. 

“Alright you may begin, Farah. I’ll scan you after you take a shower,” 

“Thank you Ben. I’m glad you gave me permission to talk,” Sarcasm dripped from her voice, “As Bloom knows, Aster Dell was the last time the Light Battalion functioned properly. Andreas was dead, and Rosalind had lost every shred of trust we placed in her. After we realized what had happened, we detained her, but we underestimated her yet again. But, perhaps it will be easier to show, than tell,” Farah looked at Ben, who nodded slightly. Her eyes glowed white, and Bloom felt a cold prickly feeling on her skin. She tried to move and was unable to. Then everything went black.


	3. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I loved the whole Bloom-Farah mother daughter relationship. We really don't have much of Bloom's or Farah's past yet, and this is how I envisioned it! Also not entirely sure how fairy magic works, so I kind of made a bit of it up! If you find any errors, feel free to leave them in the comments! Enjoy!
> 
> This is the first fic I've written, so its probably not the best it could be, but I tried. There is more coming!
> 
> I'd like to inform everyone that this account is co-owned and used, and that Em 1 is writing this fic, and Em 2 is proofreading!

Aster Dell, December 7, 2004

Bloom was standing now, looking out on a peaceful hillside. However, everything looked different. Like the most solid form of steam or smoke. Pearly and shimmering, yet solid. 

“Welcome to Aster Dell Bloom,” She jumped as Farah appeared beside her. Harvey and Silva flickered to life on her other side. All wore pained expressions, and were completely solid. 

“Is this? Are we? Aster Dell?” Bloom glanced back at the village below them. 

“Yes. This was the day we destroyed the village. Come,” She started down the hill, no longer limping. Instead she seemed completely normal. Her clothes were not stained and her hair was in an intricate knot on the back of her head. Silva and Harvey followed her, and Bloom trailed after, unsure of what was happening. It seemed like forever before they stopped walking at the crest of another hill. Faint voices could be heard. 

“Bloom, I must ask you not to inform the world of what you see today. You may of course tell your friends, Sky, even Sam if you wish, but beyond that. It’s our story to tell, not yours,” Farah turned to face Bloom. 

“Of course not. Um, what’s going on?”

“This is a memory, my memory, of the events of Aster Dell. In a few minutes we will be joined by the Light Battalion, and the story of Aster Dell will unfold before your eyes,” her voice faded away as the faint voices became louder. 

Eventually three people came into view. Rosalind was in the lead, looking the same as always. Following behind came a younger Professor Harvey, not yet bald, and looking worried. Bringing up the end was Farah. Her hair was tied in a tight bun at the back of her head, and her expression was cool. All wore dark green uniforms. 

“We wait five minutes. Then we converge and strike,” Rosalind shot both companions a hard look. 

“Are we certain this is the only way? It will leave so many innocent people without homes. We can handle them. You know that!” Farah stepped forward and stared hard at Rosalind. 

“Are you disobeying my orders Farah? I know what I’m doing. That’s why I’m the general, and you're the soldier,” Ben shifted uncomfortably at Rosalind’s words. Farah turned her attention to Aster Dell and said nothing more. 

The Farah next to Bloom did the same, “I should’ve disobeyed. Should’ve questioned her,” she said in a whisper. 

“We all should’ve. It’s not your fault. You know it,” Harvey stated stubbornly. Silva nodded in agreement. Farah hummed in reply. 

Meanwhile the pearlescent Rosalind was watching the hills to the left, “Farah, Ben, get in position. Channel your energy. Now!” 

The wispy Farah stepped in front of Rosalind, forming a triangle. Even through the memory, Bloom could feel the electricity crackling in the air. The clouds darkened above, and thunder sounded. A flash of light burned in the sky, and it was over. Ben gasped quietly and turned away. Rosalind smiled at the destruction below, and stepped up to Farah. She reached up to rest a hand in the side of Farah’s face. And Farah screamed. Ben turned around and bolted to her side. 

“Farah! Farah, talk to me! What’s wrong with her? Rosalind what’s happening?” He grabbed Farah as her legs gave out and held her by his side. Rosalind stepped back and didn’t answer. 

“Ben!” Farah gasped, “There are people down there! The village is full of people! I can feel them. I couldn’t before, but I can now. Oh my god, Ben!” Bloom watched as Ben’s expression changed to that of horror. Farah was shaking uncontrollably. She regained her footing and stumbled down the hill towards the village. Ben stood there shocked, before running after. Rosalind smiled. The scene blacked out. 

Now, they were in the remains of Aster Dell. Farah and Ben made it into the village and were staring at the destruction. Ben promptly ran the other way, and you could hear him retching. Farah dropped to her knees, and started sobbing. In an instant Silva was by her side, and they clung to each other. Rosalind walked into the village, her mouth set in a thin line. 

“You knew!” Saul yelled at Rosalind, “You knew that there were people in the village! And you lied about it!” 

“I did, and I did. I knew that you three wouldn’t have done what was needed if you knew that there were people still in the village. I was simply ensuring our success. The lives of these people will be remembered and honored. They were here when history was made!” A crazy grin stretched across Rosalind’s face. 

Farah stood up abruptly. She had stopped sobbing, but was still shaking slightly, “What had to be done! How is this what had to be done!” She stared at Rosalind, magic beginning to crackle around her. Rosalind’s grin faded as she glared triumphantly at Farah, “None of this is worth making history. This! This is murder! What the hell! I trusted you! Why couldn’t I feel them? Why couldn’t I feel them in the village! I know you know! Tell me now!”

“I cast a spell on you. If you had felt the people in this village you would have informed Ben. It was only as long as was necessary. I didn’t want you incapacitated for too long,” Farah let in a pained gasp and dropped her head. Rosalind dismissed her and turned to Silva, “Where is Andreas, Saul?” 

Saul only stared at her. 

“Where is he! Was he in the village? Is he dead!” 

“Why the hell does Andreas matter! He knew, didn't he. I hope he was here. If he was, he got what he deserved!” Farah said, and the tone in her voice was the worst thing Bloom had ever heard. It was past screaming or crying. Just defeat and venom fueled her words. 

“You watch your tongue girl!” Rosalind yelled. She flicked her hand and Farah was thrown into a broken stone wall. She stumbled back to her feet and glared at Rosalind. Her eyes flashed white and she gasped. 

“He’s dead Rosalind! He drew his weapon against Saul! He tried to kill him! He tried to kill his best friend! How do you call him loyal!” 

“He was more loyal than any of you are! He chose to follow his orders, like a true soldier. I guess Saul killed him then? Well. That’s most disappointing, but blood for blood,” Rosalind turned and advanced on Saul, who stared at her dumbfounded. Ben shouted for him to move, but he seemed frozen in the spot. Farah ran forward and grabbed Rosalind’s head with her hands. And she let her magic go. Rosalind screamed, her body twitching violently. Her eyes rolled in her head and she crumpled at Farah’s feet. 

“Holy shit Farah!” Saul yelled, running to her. He caught her as she fell, and the scene slowly faded away. Bloom felt the cold feeling prickle at her skin, and they were back in Farah’s office. 

Alfea, November 28, 2020

Farah pushed herself out of her chair and began pacing. 

“I, wow,” Was all Bloom could say. 

“Bloom, what you just saw, I speak for Farah and Ben as much as myself, is the day we regret the most. We would have never done that,” Saul said softly. Ben nodded in agreement. 

“I know. I mean it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know that there were innocent bystanders,” 

“We should have. I should have known. I let my guard down. Rosalind took control of my magic because of it. And then she took you,” Farah’s voice shook as she spoke, still pacing. She came to a stop in front of Bloom, “And, you wouldn’t have grown up in the first world without knowing the truth. You would have learned to control your magic here. Safe, protected. You wouldn’t have hurt the people you cared about. I failed. I failed you, and I failed the people of Aster Dell, because I was so caught up in Rosalind’s web of lies,” Her eyes glittered with tears, “I’m sorry Bloom. I’m so sorry. Please, forgive me,” 

Bloom stood up and pressed herself against Farah, “I already did. Mum,” They stayed that way for a while, Farah’s head resting on Bloom’s hair, and Bloom’s face buried in Farah’s neck.

“Right then,” Farah said breathlessly, “Now, we have the rest of the story to tell,” She pulled away and smiled at Bloom, “Back into memories of the past,” 

Alfea Forest, Sector 14, December 10, 2004

This time when the darkness faded away they found themselves in a forest. The trees towered over their heads, the stillness only broken by the occasional hoot of an owl. Farah waved a hand and the group moved forward. 

“We lived here!” The house in front of them was stunning. It wasn’t huge, but it was beautiful. The walkway led up to an ornate oak door with a beautiful marbled window. 

“Yes. I did. We did. This was my home for years. It would have been yours as well, but things didn’t work out,” Farah guided Bloom up the front walkway to the front door, “I thought you might like some time to explore the house before we hop to my finding Rosalind here,”

“But isn’t it a memory that we are watching?”

“Indeed it is, but instead of a specific time, we are in a specific place. I remember this place vividly, therefore I can hold the memory we are about to watch in place while you explore,”

“This is amazing!” Farah chuckled. 

“Farah, Ben and I are going to the pond out back. Just pull us back to reality when you’re done,” Farah raised an eyebrow as Saul looked around the edge of the house. 

“This is your time. We know the story. Now it’s time to share it with someone else that it affects,” Ben smiled at the pair, and he and Saul disappeared around the side of the house. 

“And then there were two,” Bloom grinned at Farah. 

“Boys. Shall we?” She stepped forward and opened the door. 

They entered an open living room area. A huge picture window formed the wall opposite the door. The other two walls had large oak bookshelves that were filled with books. There was an open doorway on the right that led into a modern kitchen. A TV was mounted on the wall opposite the kitchen, and dark leather couches were positioned to watch or look out the window. Bloom could see Saul and Ben in the backyard, sitting by a large pond. Bloom wandered through the room, into the kitchen, and through another archway. This led to a dining room. A tall dark table sat in the middle of the circular room, under a small crystal chandelier. Four chairs were neatly pushed into place, giving the whole room a tidy, homey feel. A large window was cut into the wall opposite the arch. A black carpet lay underneath the table, breaking away from the hardwood floors in the rest of the home. To Bloom’s left, a stairway led up to what she assumed was the second floor. Pictures lined the wall as she climbed, most of what she assumed were Farah’s graduating classes and her peers in the Light Battalion. Soft carpet filled the landing, and a small version of the bookshelves and couches sat near the back wall. There were five doors in the hallway. The first on the right was a bathroom, with a big granite counter and two sinks. A giant tub took up the farthest half of the room, and fluffy towels hung on the wall nearby. The second door was a closet. Bloom shut the door gently and moved on to the next. The third was a small bedroom. As she closed the door she felt Farah’s hand on her shoulder. She unconsciously smiled at the touch, and sent her a grateful look as she turned to open the next door. This door led into a large bedroom, with a queen size bed standing in the middle. The headboard was white, and twisted like vines in an arch. A small door on Bloom’s left led into the master bathroom. She stepped forward into the room to get a better view. The plush carpet on the floor was dark grey, and it matched the bedspread. On Bloom’s right, a sliding door led into a walk-in closet. Near the front of the room sat another door. Hesitantly Bloom pushed it open and walked into the most beautiful room she had ever seen. Stars hung in mid air, dancing around forming different constellations. A peaceful light was let out through the wall sconces. A cradle sat in the corner of the room, with the same twisting design as the master bed. It was also white. A door lay on Bloom’s right, probably leading back into the hallway. More plush carpets lined the hardwood floors here. A small oak bookshelf held children’s books and little stuffed animals. The whole room felt calm. 

“Was this my?” Bloom looked at Farah, who nodded softly, “It’s beautiful,” She stared in awe at the stars as they danced beneath the ceiling. 

“Ben helped find the spells we needed. I enchanted the room to inform me if someone unknown entered. I also placed a calming spell around it. And please, never ask Ben about the constellations. They were a disaster!” Farah shot Bloom a grin. 

“They turned out beautiful though,” 

“Yes. They did. We should probably get through this memory and return. I know your friends are worried about you,” 

“Yea. That’s fine,” Bloom didn’t really want to leave. She walked over to the bookshelf and rested a hand on a framed photo. It showed Farah, holding a baby girl who was grinning as she clutched Farah’s hair. Farah seemed to be laughing. The perfect moment, caught in time for eternity. And Bloom wondered if that would have been how she grew up if Rosalind hadn’t taken her. With Farah, here in this cottage, and at Alfea. Would she have known Sky, Sam, and Terra as brothers and sisters? Ben and Silva, her uncles? 

“I know what you're thinking Bloom. But everything that happened happened for a reason. Your life made you who you are,” Farah tilted Bloom’s chin up to look at her, “You are you. You don’t need to be anyone else. Live life in the moment. You don’t need to ponder over the past. You might miss the good moments in the present. If you want, we can come back here later. You explore in more depth. But right now, we should get going,” 

“Ok. And, thanks,” Farah smiled, and led her through the door. Back down the hallway, through the dining room, kitchen, and to the front door. She opened it with a click, and they stepped outside. They walked down the small path, along the side of the house. 

“Ben! Saul!” 

“Hey Farah. How’s it going?” Ben glanced at Bloom and back at Farah. 

“Fine. Everything’s fine. I just wanted to warn you that I’m starting the memory,” 

“Thanks for the friendly warning. Otherwise, we probably would’ve jumped when the house exploded,” Farah flinched and glared at him. Ben slapped him in the face. 

“God Saul. Be more inconsiderate why don’t you,” 

“It’s fine. It’s just not the best memory,” Farah watched the house for a minute, “Well. I guess we begin?” Without waiting for response, her eyes glowed and the scene mutated. The sky darkened and thunder rumbled. 

“Back to the front. Come on,” Farah shepherded Bloom back around to the front. They stopped at the end of the walkway. 

“I’ll be coming through there in a minute,” Farah gestured towards a gap in the trees. And sure enough, she did come through there. The pearly Farah was walking with Saul. Both seemed very tired. 

“I really can’t thank you enough for letting me stay,” Saul was saying quietly. 

“Of course, it’s the least I could do. As long as you don’t mind sleeping on the couch. Gloria moved into the guest room a few weeks ago. You didn’t have to walk home with me though Saul,” 

“I know. But Ben has Terra and Sam to take care of at Alfea, and Rose,” 

“He just needs space. He’s grieving,” 

“I get that Farah, but he can’t forever. It’s been almost a year,” 

“Aster Dell brought back memories. Especially painful ones for him. It’s not his fault. How are you?”

“Alright. I don’t know. I just didn’t really want to be alone. Andreas and I shared a cabin. It’s so, empty,” Saul gave Farah a pained look. 

“You're welcome here as long as you like, Saul,” Farah said softly. 

The two emerged from the trees, bundled up against the wind. Farah gasped as the house came into view, “Oh my god! Hope!” 

Saul stared in horror before yelling at Farah, “Farah! Wait. It might not be safe!” Farah ignored his comment and ran past Bloom. Bloom turned around with her and gasped in surprise. The front door was hanging off of its hinges, charred. Farah ran through, and out of sight. Bloom followed after. The furniture was overturned. The bookshelves had been demolished, and scraps of paper lay all over the floor. The glass picture window had shattered, leaving sharp shards. The archway had been blasted apart, and rubble covered the kitchen. The dining room table was overturned and the chairs were all but splinters. Every picture along the wall had been broken. They lay on the stairs and floor. Most were charred around the edges, and some were smoldering. It was amazing that a fire hadn’t started. All of the doors on the second floor were blown off of their hinges. It seemed that the culprit hadn’t cared about the rooms on the right side however, beyond the door they were still mostly intact. The master bedroom windows had been shattered, as had the closet doors. The headboard of the bed was splintered, and the comforter was covered in dust and glass. Both the dresser and the nightstand had been overturned, and their contents were strewn about the floor. The counter in the master bathroom had been shattered, and the curtains shredded. Bloom heard a muffled cry, and ran into the nursery. She came to a stop beside the real Farah, standing a good 6 feet away from the pearly version. This room had taken the brunt of the attack. The dresser in the corner was non-existent. The bookshelf lie in splinters, the little stuffed animals torn. Little bits of stuffing littered the floor, along with burning pages of children’s books. The beautiful stars were on the ground, dull. They no longer flickered with light as they danced about the room. The only thing in the room that remained intact was the crib. Bloom could only watch as Farah ran to the crib and scooped up the child within. She let out a wail, and hugged the bundle to her chest. Tears streamed down her face, as she turned. Saul ran through the doorway. 

“Oh Farah,” She looked at him mutely and stepped forward before collapsing into his arms, shaking with grief. 

“Saul,” She cried. He wrapped his arms around her, supporting her weight, and began whispering soothing words. She clutched the baby closer. The poor thing had major burns, and was bleeding in multiple places. 

“She, she’s, g-gone,” Farah whispered. 

“It’ll be alright Farah. I promise. It’s ok. It’ll be ok,” 

Farah gasped and looked Saul in the eyes. “Gloria! Saul, please. Is she,” 

“I’ll go look. Stay here. Promise me you’ll stay here Farah,” He lifted her chin and looked at her pleadingly. She nodded mutely, and he whipped away a tear. He set her on the ground and ran out of the room, sword drawn. Farah sobbed on the floor until he returned later. 

“She’s not here Farah. We’re the only ones in the house. Come on. We need to get back to Alfea,” He reached down to pick her up, and she shrank away from him clutching the baby, “Come on. We’ll bring her with. We can’t stay here, Farah. It’s not safe,” He reached forward again and lifted her gently to her feet. She continued sobbing, in a sort of trance. Saul sighed and scooped her into his arms, where she curled in upon herself and her child. He walked out of the room and the room faded away again.


	4. Fire and Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some fluff and comedy. A bit deeper into Farah and Blooms' relationship! Enjoy!

Alfea, November 28, 2020

They were back in the headmistress’s office again. Bloom noticed that this time Saul and Ben seemed surprised to be back. She assumed it was because they hadn’t been informed of their imminent return. Farah sighed softly from her chair, and Ben stood up. 

“Alright. Enough memory hopping for you,” He walked to Farah and offered her a hand. She took it hesitantly and stood up, swaying slightly. 

“You are going to lay down and take a rest. You overdid it Farah,” Farah let out an annoyed grunt. 

“Honestly stop worrying. I’m fine,” 

“Erm, I’m going to agree with Professor Harvey. I mean you were limping pretty badly in the forest,” 

“Saul, would you come steady her. I need to scan her,” He cut Farah off, “I was lenient at first because I knew that in memories, you aren’t actually moving physically. But you are physically, mentally, and magically drained, now more than before. How that’s possible, I’m not certain,” His tone left no room for argument. 

She sighed in resignation as Saul took her hand. Ben’s eyes glowed green, and a magical aura began to form around Farah. It swirled around, before condensing and coming to rest in the center of his palm. He watched it for a second, before closing his palm. 

“Alright. When you’re better I am going to personally kill you. What the hell have you done the past few weeks?”

“Trying not to die, among other things,” Farah replied sarcastically. 

“Honestly. Your magical reserves are practically empty. If my calculations are correct you haven’t slept in days, and you haven’t eaten an actual meal in weeks. You’re completely famished. And that’s just the long lasting problems. Don’t even get me started on the injuries outside!” 

“Ben, just explain please,” Saul cut his rant off impatiently. 

“Right then. You seem to have a migraine setting, probably both from the overuse of your magic and your ability to hear people’s thoughts. I’m assuming that that is overwhelming you at the time even if you don't realize it. This,” He gestured to her neck, where a thin white line was visible, “Is not fully healed properly. You are severely malnourished which is slowing the process further, and your right ankle is badly sprained. I’ll make a salve for the bruising along your back and shoulders, honestly Farah were you thrown into a tree or what,” 

“Umm, the ground,” Farah replied sheepishly. 

“Wonderful. You might have gotten a concussion from that, and I wouldn’t be able to tell through the migraine,” 

“Seriously Farah! Why is it when I leave you with the school, you almost get yourself killed, and end up like this,” Saul groaned. 

“Oh don’t you start with me right now! I’m really not in the mood for it,” 

“Saul, can you keep her here. No magic, no sharp movements. I’ll go get everything I need from the greenhouses, and be back in twenty,” 

“No problem sarge,” Ben rolled his eyes, and left the room. Saul opened his mouth to say something and Farah covered it with her hand. 

“Don’t even start. I know what you’re going to say, so don’t even bother,” She sunk back into her chair with a groan. 

“How did you not collapse hours ago?” 

“I don’t know. I honestly didn’t notice. I didn’t feel any of the pain,” 

“Mmm hmm,” 

“Shut up,” Saul looked offended. He turned around and walked towards the loft. Farah closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. Bloom watched quietly. 

“I know you're dying to say something. Get it over and done with,” Farah stated, still leaning back in her chair. She opened her eyes and looked at Bloom. 

“I don’t think now’s a good time. You really should have said something sooner. We didn’t have to do everything that we did today,” 

“Yes, we did. You needed to know the truth,” 

“And you need to not die again. The school needs a strong headmistress to lead them,” Bloom shot back. She got a muffled grunt in response. 

Bloom pushed herself out of her chair and looked up at Saul, “Headmaster Silva!” He leaned over the edge of the railing to look down at her, “I’m going to go back to my suite, if that’s ok,” He nodded at her. She smiled and headed toward the door, before wheeling around and calling to him again, “Um, would you keep me updated on how she’s doing,” 

“Of course Bloom. I’ll make sure your the first to know of any change in her condition,” 

“Err, thanks,” She said sheepishly. 

“You know I can hear the two of you. I’m not deaf. It’s not like I’m dying,” 

Bloom slid to the door and let herself out. She heard Silva respond, “Practically dead,” and a thump, “Farah! That hurt. No magic, and did you actually just throw a book at me!” 

“Ancient magical formulas and theorems was boring anyway,” 

Bloom grinned and turned away from the door. She walked through the deserted hallways to her suite grinning ear to ear. There was more bounce in her step, and more color in the lifeless walls. Alfea was going to be okay. 

“Bloom! I swear I’m going to kill you if you stop answering your texts for hours one more time. Are you good?” Aisha stepped back, watching her. Bloom knew she was still grinning ear to ear and assumed it must be a sight to behold. 

“No, I think she’s finally cracked. She’s got all these happy feelings after a private lesson with Rosalind. The two don’t go together,” Musa walked out of the bathroom, headphones around her neck. She came to a stop beside Aisha, “Care to fill us in or?” 

“Bloom’s back? Did I hear Bloom?” Stella had stepped out of her room. 

“Um, yes. Bloom’s back. At least last time I checked Bloom was back. Am I not Bloom anymore?” With a grin, she sat down on the arm of the couch. 

“Very funny. You seem in a good mood. Was Rosalind’s training cancelled?” Stella sat down beside Bloom, and Musa sat opposite them. Aisha hovered in the corner. 

“No. We had it. Where is Terra? I really wanted to tell her this too,” 

“She should be back anytime now. She went to pick up some stuff from the greenhouse,” 

“I’m here, I’m here. You won’t believe what I just saw. I don’t think dad even knew I was there. He was running around grabbing bandages and salves. What do you think could have happened? Is Rosalind dying? That’d make our life easier,” 

“Sorry Ter, but Rosalind isn’t dying. I don’t think. Actually I’m not sure. Last time I saw her she was really pissed off,” Bloom watched as the Earth fairy sped through the door and locked it behind her. She and Aisha stepped forward and seated themselves next to Musa. 

“Huh. I didn’t think so. Dad was smiling way to much for Rosalind to be the cause,” 

“Ok. So Bloom was going to tell us why she’s in such a good mood, right?” Musa was watching her intently now. 

“I, yea. So Rosalind kind of tried to, err, kill me. She was really pissed that I didn’t accept her as the headmistress,” She said no more. No one would have heard her anyway. All four girls had started panicking as soon as she told them or her attempted murder. 

“What!” Stella yelled in her ear, just as Terra said, “How!”

“Why would she do that!” Aisha cried. 

“Are you ok Bloom? Did she hurt you?” Musa was by far the calmest of the group. 

“I’m fine. Probably wouldn’t have been, but I am. Dowling rescued me,” 

“Dowling did what now?”

“She’s alive, but barely, I think. Honestly I’m not sure anymore,” 

“Oh my god! Auntie Farah is alive!” Terra was crying now. 

“She is. She’ll make the announcement at some point. She and Rosalind had a show down in the garden. Apparently Rosalind snapped her neck and thought she was dead. Anyway she wasn’t dead, and she was pretty mad at Rosalind,” Bloom said nonchalantly. The rest of the girls just stared at her, gaping. 

“You’re joking right? Funny joke Bloom,” Aisha sounded hesitant. 

“Nope. Not joking. Dowling and Rosalind faced down, Dowling won, and Rosalind was her usual horrible self. Hey Terra, did you know Dowling had a daughter,” Bloom turned to face Terra. 

“I, no. She didn’t. She’s never had a child,” 

“She did. Just before Aster Dell. Rosalind was really pissed that Farah didn’t stand by her choice that day. She destroyed Farah’s house, and killed her daughter,”

“How did you learn this?” Stella looked questioningly at the red haired fairy. 

“She told me. In the forest. After Rosalind revealed that she didn’t kill the baby. She wanted to use its power as her own in the oncoming war. But her plans got screwed up when Farah imprisoned her under the school. And I got stuck in the first world for 16 years without learning the truth,” 

“You got stuck in the. You’re the child? You’re a Dowling? I’m dreaming. Someone pinch me,” Musa happily obliged, pinching Aisha hard, “Ow! Ok not dreaming then. Wow. You do act like her though. Stubborn, powerful,” 

“Kind, protective, impulsive,” Musa put in. 

“Not sure Dowling’s impulsive,” Stella said. 

“Mmm, you’d be surprised. She isn’t when stuff's life threatening, but don’t make her mad. I remember, I was like 6, and we were having Christmas dinner. Dad mentioned something about how the students had a crush on her and that it was too bad she was taken. Then he made a crown out of flowers that said well, Saul and Farah but more intimately. She incinerated it, and dad slept in the attic that night,” 

Everyone laughed. They spent a few minutes joking about it . Bloom was thankful that they took her being related to Dowling well, and reminded herself to thank them all later. 

“Wait, Bloom, you said Dowling was barely alive. What do you mean by that?” The mood darkened a little as everyone turned back to Bloom. 

“Oh. She’s not going to die or anything. Professor Harvey said that she’s drained physically, mentally, and magically. Something about being malnourished. He said she might have a migraine too. You know. Some bruises and scrapes, and then her ankles sprained,” Bloom decided to leave out the fact that Farah’s neck hadn’t healed properly either. 

“Oh! I should go help Dad. I should help her,” Terra pushed herself up and hurried towards the door. 

“Wait Ter, it’s almost 10 p.m. I’m sure that she’s fine,” Aisha called out to emptiness. Terra was already gone. 

“Come on. Let’s go get her,” Musa stood up and left, the rest of the girls following behind her.  
They caught up with Terra as she turned down the corridor to the headmistress’s office. 

“Terra, wait up. Everything’s fine. She’s probably already asleep anyway. We can see her in the morning!” Terra took no notice of Musa. She marched up to the door and opened it. Bloom sighed in relief when she saw all three adults sitting on a couple of sofas that had been temporarily put in the center of the room. The wooden tables had been hastily moved aside. Ben and Saul, who were facing them, had looked up in surprise. Saul had risen and stepped towards the door, tense and ready to attack if the need arose. He calmed and sank back into the couch when he saw their visitors. Farah had been facing away from them. She spun around to look at them, and rested her arms against the back of the couch. 

“Terra, what is the meaning of this,” Ben looked at his daughter angrily. 

She ignored him, walked forward and sat down next to Farah, who turned to look at her. Before she could even utter a word, Terra wrapped her arms around Farah, effectively pinning her. She let out a strangle sob, and pressed herself to Farah. Farah glanced at Ben, and tried to free her arms from her side. After attempting to do so multiple times, she succeeded and wrapped her arms around Terra. 

“Shhh, shh. It’s alright sweetie. It’s alright. Calm down love,” 

“You, you were gone. You promised! You promised you’d never leave me here!” Terra stuttered. She pulled away and looked up at Farah. 

“I know. It wasn’t intentional. I had no choice. But I promise that I was always here. I was always watching,” 

“You’re ok. Really ok? Right Auntie,” 

“Yes sweetie. I’m fine. I won’t leave again anytime soon either. I promise,” Terra nodded at her, teary eyed, and leaned into her. 

“Come in girls. Don’t dawdle,” The girls all stepped into the room hesitantly. Bloom moved and sat down on Farah’s other side. Ben summoned a third couch, and the other three girls sat down on it uncomfortably. 

“We didn’t mean to disturb you Headmistress, Headmaster, Professor,” Aisha said, looking at her lap. 

“It’s alright Aisha. You didn’t disturb us in the slightest. I’m assuming Bloom told you about this afternoon then?” Farah watched the teenagers calmly. 

“Umm, yes. She did,” Aisha looked at her sheepishly. 

“Ok. I can feel everyone radiating with it, and no one else is saying it so I will. We were so worried!” Musa threw her hands in the air, jarring the headphones around her neck.

“Musa, pick someone and focus on them. I understand you’re overwhelmed. Focus on me,” Musa did as she was told, and the tenseness in her shoulders faded away, “Good. That’s perfect dear,” 

Musa looked up, startled by the informal reference. She smiled lightly and relaxed back into the couch. 

“Alright. You got that out of your system. Now, curfew was half an hour ago. I want all of you to return to your suite and go to bed,” Ben stood up and looked each girl in the eye. His tone left no room for argument, so the girls began to push themselves up, sighing in resignation. 

“Oh honestly Ben. It’s Saturday. I think they can stay awhile,” Farah laughed and tugged Terra and Bloom back down on the couch, resting an arm around each of their shoulders. Ben and Saul looked at her.

“Farah, are you sure you feel alright. I mean, aren’t you the one who refuses to break the rules? I mean you worship them,” 

“I do not Saul,” 

“There’s plenty of evidence to argue that Farah, and you are supposed to be resting,” Ben gave her a stern look. She looked back at him and grinned innocently. 

“I promise I’ll behave. I won’t use my magic for the rest of the evening,” 

Ben seemed to be struggling with himself now. There was no doubt that Farah had continued to use her magic against Ben’s wishes. Eventually he sighed and waved a hand at her, “Fine. No magic for the rest of the evening and until noon tomorrow and I’ll allow it,” 

“Sucker,” Saul nudged Ben and grinned, “Want a whiskey?”

“I could go for one,” 

“Absolutely not Farah. I’ll take one though Saul,” 

“Oh, so now I’m prohibited from drinking my whiskey in my office? That’s hardly fair,” 

“We have to find it first, Farah. Then we get to have it,” Ben stood up with Saul, and both began to make their way around all the tables and up to the loft, “Girls, if she moves, I give you permission to personally restrain her,” Aisha and Musa began to giggle. Stella grinned, and Bloom and Terra shot Farah mischievous looks. 

“Mmm Ben, that might not have been the best choice in regards to my health,” He grunted at her, making his way up the stairs. She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the back of his head. A very childish move, which sent all the girls into fits of laughter. 

“Auntie. Don’t move now,” Terra poked her. 

“Yes mum. Stay put or we can personally restrain you,” Bloom poked her other side. Farah gave an exaggerated sigh and crossed her arms. 

“I’m feeling a bit teamed up on at the moment. Ben! Hurry up,” 

“Nah. You can handle it,” 

Farah leaned forward and grabbed the book on the table, “Terra, love, would you mind holding my hand for a minute,” Terra grabbed her hand, looking thoroughly confused. A green ball of magic snaked down her arm and up Farah’s. The book glimmered with green magic, and soared away. 

“What the hell! Is that a book! Farah!” Ben appeared at the edge of the loft. He ducked under the book and glared at her. She smiled innocently at him, “No magic!” 

“Technically it’s Terra’s magic. Not mine,” she held up her hand, still holding Terra’s. The green light continued to pulse across their arms. Saul burst into laughter behind Ben. With a mischievous smile Farah sent the book away. They heard a thud, and the laughter stopped. Saul appeared next to Ben, holding a bottle of whiskey in his hand. 

“Not funny Farah,” 

“Oh it was hilarious, spoil-sport,” The book fell to the ground as the bond between the fairies broke. There was a gentle sloshing as whiskey was poured, and the two men leaned over the railing to look down at the girls. 

“If you intend to simply stand there, why don’t you make yourself useful and bring me one of those boxes of books. I need to sort through them all anyway,” Ben gave her a disapproving look, “Oh come on Ben. I can’t overexert myself by doing something like that,” He sighed, setting his whiskey glass on the rail ledge. He disappeared on the landing with Saul in tow. Both reappeared with big boxes, presumably full of books. They set them down at Farah’s feet and returned to collect their whiskey. Farah bent down and opened the box. 

“Thank you,” 

“So what lucky books did we get in that box?”

“As if you care, Saul. You hate reading. But if you’d like to know, I see Ancient Fairy Runes, Magical Melodies: Sirens and Sea Folk, The Art of the Dark Arts, History of,” Farah trailed off, grimacing at the title of a dusty black book. 

“History of what, Farah?” 

“Torture. It’s about ancient magical spells and their uses in the medieval ages. This isn’t one of mine. I would never read it,” 

“Then off it goes to the corner shelf,” Saul swept it out of Farah’s hand and placed it on a small shelf in the farthest corner of her office, where the light barely reached. Farah shot him a grateful glance, and moved to pick up the next book in the box. She began to sort through them, directing Saul and Ben on where they went. At some point Aisha hopped up too, and began returning the books to their original homes on the large shelves. As Farah moved to open the second box, a thin trail of vines snaked across it. 

“Tomorrow Farah. It’s late, and you need to rest. I’m officially sending everyone to bed now,” The earth fairy turned to Terra and waved a hand at her. She stood up and headed towards the door, Aisha, Musa, and Stella in tow. Saul followed behind them. 

“Is something the matter, Bloom?”

“We all know she’s not going to go to bed unless someone watches her,”

“Enough said. Goodnight girls,” With a click, the door shut, and the two fairies were left alone. Farah pushed herself off the couch, and made her way towards a seemingly empty wall. As she made contact, the wall faded away, leaving a dark wooden door. . 

“Let me guess. Another one of your magical barriers?”

“Exactly. I blocked it off years ago when I became headmistress and came to live here. Privacy can be bliss, especially for a mind fairy,” She turned back to Bloom, “I’ll be out soon, after I shower and change. You really don’t have to stay,” 

“I’m staying here,” 

“Alright. There’s a book on the table that might interest you while you wait,” With that she slipped through the door. Bloom stared at the door for a second, and turned to look at the book. The cursive golden font stood out against the scarlet cover.

“The Flame of the Last Dragon. Sounds interesting enough,” her voice echoed around the room. She pulled it to rest on her lap, and flipped it open. She never heard the mind fairy return, or the muttered “I love you'' that was whispered as she was tucked in. Never felt the book being pulled out of her hands, and the light kiss gently placed on her forehead. 

“Goodnight, my dear,” And she left the room, dimming the lights behind her.


	5. Reappearance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that everything is back to usual, mostly, Farah and Silva reveal themselves to the school.

Sunlight was pouring through the window, right onto Bloom’s face. She stirred slightly, and groaned. 

“Go away, I’m going back to bed,” She stated groggily, half to herself. The sun did not leave her alone. She opened her eyes the rest of the way, and sat up. 

“Mmm, fluffy. That’s nice,” She fell back down burying her face in the blanket, entirely ready to go back to sleep. 

“Good morning to you too,” In her half asleep state, Bloom had apparently not noticed Farah sitting on the couch across from her. She scrambled up again, twisting the blanket as she went. As she tried to free her now tangled limbs from the folds of the blanket, Farah leaned forward to pick up her cup of tea. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were there. I must have fallen asleep last night,” The fire fairy began twisting around more frantically. 

“Calm down. Really, you’re overreacting.” 

“Easy for you to say,” But calm down she did. As she began to carefully work her way out of the blanket, she could have sworn she heard a snort. 

“Here, I had the cooks bring breakfast up for the two of us. I got rather strange looks from them though. Apparently Rosalind doesn’t eat alone much,” 

“Are you still pretending to be Rosalind then?” 

“Yes. And Saul is currently acting as Andreas. We both thought it would be better to inform the school of our return at lunch. That way everyone would be in the courtyard, and my magic ban is up,”

Startled, Bloom looked at her. She had untangled herself, and was trying to tidy up the couch where she had slept. She clutched the blanket close though, “You actually followed that?” 

“Yes. Why wouldn’t I? I promised I wouldn’t use magic until noon. Well except for the illusion spells,” The fairy stood up, and collected a tray of food from a side table, “I’m afraid it’s a little cold. They brought it up an hour ago,” 

“What time is it?” 

“Almost 8:30 I believe,” 

“Great. Aisha’s gonna kill me,” Bloom muttered sarcastically. Apparently Farah heard her. 

“Whatever for?” 

“Oh. I’m not a morning person, and she is. She’s probably gonna be wondering where I am. I’ve been distant lately, which makes everyone worried when I’m not where I should be,” 

“The garden, I know. I watched you there multiple times. Trying to decide whether or not to reveal myself to you. In the end, the negatives always outweighed the positives. I am curious though, as to how you seemed to realize something was special about that spot?”

“That’s what everyone keeps asking! I don’t know. It was a feeling. Like something important was there. I guess I was right,”

“Sometimes, feelings may outweigh knowledge. Trust your feelings Bloom, because they make you who you are. Listen to your feelings, because they will not lead you astray,” 

“They did when I released Rosalind. I wanted to trust her, believe that she wasn’t who you said she was. I knew it was idiotic and that I shouldn’t do it, but I did it anyway, and screwed everyone up big time,” With a sigh, Farah placed the tray on the table and sat down next to Bloom. 

“ I don’t believe that they did Bloom. You wanted to trust Rosalind, and she was the only one who could answer all of your questions. I couldn’t have, nor your friends. She was the only one who could fill in the blanks,” 

“Great. People died so I could get answers. You died! Silva almost died! People got hurt because I did something stupid,” She leaned into Farah as she felt an arm wrap around her back. 

“People got hurt because Rosalind wanted them to. You didn’t know it would happen. You would have handled the situation differently if you had,” The mind fairy stated. Her voice rose slowly as she spoke, “It is in no way shape or form your fault. And if you do take the blame, you won’t be doing so alone. I was the one who locked her away sixteen years ago. And I didn’t tell you the full truth in the beginning. I let you learn from teenagers for heaven's sake! I mean they aren’t the best source of information,”

“Tone!” Farah tried to suppress the smirk building on her face as Bloom lapsed into fits of laughter. 

“I was so mad at you for not telling me that day, but now it’s just plain funny. Also, thanks for not telling me everything. I don’t think I could have handled it, and I guess that learning it myself was a good life lesson,” Bloom reached forward to grab the tray, and began to heat up the pancakes. 

“Would you like something to drink? Tea, or coffee?” She stood up and began filling an ornate white and silver teapot. It was then when Bloom realized that the headmistress was not wearing formal attire. She wore a floor length, navy blue robe, with a sash at the middle. Her hair flowed around her shoulders and back, coming to a stop around her hips. The mud had been washed out, and each lock shimmered in the light. 

“You should wear your hair down more often,” 

“Perhaps. Old habits die hard though,” She busied herself ordering books on the shelves, to hide the rising color in her cheeks. 

“Ok then,” The older fairy continued to sort books as Bloom finished her breakfast. The silence was broken only by soft footfalls and the clinking of silverware. 

“Um, so. I was wondering, whether you wanted to. You know. Um?” Farah chuckled at the younger fairy’s nervousness. 

“You’ll have to elaborate if you want any sort of educated answer,” 

“Yea I know. Um. I say um a lot. So, do you wanna, like, tell people about me? I mean like I’m a Dowling now so yay! But, um, do we want to tell people, and how?” 

“I don’t know. It’s truly your decision. I won’t make it for you,” 

“Wow. So helpful,” 

The door to the office slammed open, cutting Bloom off. Farah yelped and dropped the book she was holding. 

“I hate being Andreas!” 

“Saul! Why would you do that! You practically scared me to death!” With a nasty glance she bent over to pick up the book. 

“He’s an idiot sometimes. That’s why,” 

“Understatement of the century, Ben,” 

“Everyone looks at me like some sort of demon! Someone ran into me in the hallway, screamed, and started cowering and begging me not to hurt her!”

“In other words, he’s done being Andreas,” 

“He’ll survive until lunch. It’s only a few hours from now,” 

Farah finished placing the books on the shelves and turned to watch the new arrivals. Ben looked his normal self, and Saul looked like Andreas. Except not Andreas. The real Andreas would never make that sort of face, and it was all Farah could do to suppress a snort. 

“Mmm, mum, I’llcomebacklater,” Bloom said, her mouth full of pancakes. 

“You’ll eat your breakfast, without shoveling it into your face. Then you may go. And don’t talk with your mouth full,” 

Saul snuck over to Bloom and whispered loudly, so that everyone could hear, “Good luck with her. She’s stubborn as hell,” A perfectly aimed pencil smacked Saul in the head, “See what I mean!” Farah began massaging her head as the rest of the room broke into laughter. 

“Oh yes. Very stubborn. And she’s got a very good aim,” Ben ducked under the pencil that came soaring above his head, as Saul snorted.

“I was thinking we should have a party tonight,” The room quickly fell silent, “Amazing. That shut you all up,”

“A party?”

“Yes Saul, a party. To celebrate Rosalind’s fall from her self appointed position,” 

“Um, Ben. I think someone broke Farah,” 

“Mmm hmm,” 

“Parties are good. We like parties,” Bloom mumbled. 

“Thank you for your confirmation Bloom, but we know you like parties. The number that the student body throws each year is self explanatory,” 

“Then there are the secret ones,”

“Yes. We know about those too,” Farah gave a snort, “Honestly, a bunch of partying teens are not inconspicuous,” 

“Ben. Farah’s broken. How do we fix her,” 

“Oh shut up. You’re such babies sometimes,”

“Farah you don’t party, ever,” Ben stated quickly, as if worried about another flying pencil. 

“At least you haven’t since that one time I dragged you to a party in our second year, and we got you drunk,” Saul ducked behind Ben as he said this. 

“Yes. Only because I was 17 and didn’t drink at the time. Honestly, I grew up here. Did you really think Rosalind would have let me have some? It dulls the senses and blocks the mind, and whatever else,” 

The men stared at each other sheepishly. 

“Great. Parties are fun. We could tell everyone about everything then too. Anyway I gotta go mum,” 

“If you want to tell everyone then, then fine. Goodbye love,” 

As Bloom walked past Saul and Ben, she picked up the pencils and threw them back to Farah. 

“Uh oh. Farah’s reloaded,” And Bloom fled the scene with a grin. 

  
  
  


It was noon, and the girls were on their way to the cafeteria. Chatter echoed off the walls, as everyone speculated at what announcement Rosalind would be making. A bulletin had been sent out earlier that morning. 

“Do you think she’s adding classes to our schedule?” 

“Maybe she wants to pair us with a specialist!” 

“Maybe we’re in trouble. She might have found out about the accident in the bathroom last week!”

“Nah. She couldn’t have,”

The winx suite grinned at each other. After Bloom had gotten an earful not only from Aisha, but Stella and Terra as well, she had informed them of the announcement and possible party. 

“Maybe we’re in trouble for being up past curfew,” Terra joked. 

Musa jumped in, “Or because Bloom helped kick Beatrix, Andreas, and Luna out,” 

“I didn’t really do anything,” 

“Yes, well. My mum got what she deserved. She’s a coward, and a jerk,” 

“You’re not her Stel. Don't blame yourself for what she did,” 

“Musa, if you don’t mind, stay out of my head,” Musa frowned slightly and pulled back, “Sorry. I know you can’t help it all the time,” 

“It’s not good for you to blame yourself. Here,” She reached out to hold the light fairy’s hand gently, “Breathe, and relax,” 

Stella smiled gratefully as she relaxed, “I must admit. I’m kind of jealous that you can project emotions. It’s certainly quite wonderful,”

“Yea well, you get the constant feeling every emotion around you with it,” Everyone laughed as they entered the courtyard. They made their way to the lunch line and collected their meals. From there, they looked for a table that wasn’t in use.

Aisha nudged Bloom, “There,” She quickly got the other girls attention and they began to weave through the students. 

Musa dropped her plate with a clatter and straddled the bench so that the head table was in view. Stella sighed and sat down across from her, crossing her legs. Terra took the spot next to Musa, and Aisha and Bloom sat down beside Stella. Terra picked up a fry and twiddled it between her fingers. 

“No sign of the teachers. Wonder what they’re waiting for,” 

“Probably not for Rosalind to give them the signal to enter,” 

“Bloom, do you know how they’re gonna come in? I mean is she just gonna walk through the door with Silva and Harvey on her heels?” 

“No idea Aish. It’s possible, but I think she’s gonna do something more showy,”

“Auntie Farah always had a sense of style,” On cue the room began to quiet down. 

“There!” Musa whispered, pointing towards the head table. Ben Harvey had just taken his place on the right side of the headmistress’s chair. Andreas sat down on the other side, looking quite livid. Rosalind appeared a moment later with her signature smile. The remaining chatter ceased. 

“Good afternoon everyone!”

“Good afternoon General Rosalind,” Everyone chorused back. She had told them to call her general after she took over Alfea. 

“Quite a little war camp aren’t we? I know you're all wondering why I called you here. So I’ll just dive right in. As you all know, Rosalind has been in control of Alfea the past few weeks. However, she is going to be taking an indefinite leave of absence,” The illusion around herself and Silva melted away as she flicked her wrist. 

“Headmistress Dowling! Headmaster Silva!” The room broke into excited chatter and applause. Farah raised a hand and they broke off again. 

“I know you have questions that need answers. I promise I will do my best to fill in the blanks, but I’d like you to hear me out first,”

“Why didn’t you come back! You weren’t arrested like Headmaster Silva! You left us with her! We went through hell!”

Saul slammed his hand on the table, “All of you listen up! Yes you went through hell for three weeks! You had to deal with her for three weeks! No one wanted you to have to deal with that sort of pressure! But I suggest you listen very closely. Ms. Dowling is not to blame. Professor Harvey is not to blame. Yes you had hell to deal with for three weeks. I know so many people, specialists and fairies, that grew up knowing that as Alfea. No laughter. Their entire experience of Alfea was to make them warriors. You’re very, very, lucky that that wasn’t you,” 

“Headmaster Silva is correct. The Alfea you saw was only a fragment of what it used to be like. However, you have the right to be angry with me. I was not arrested, and I did leave you with her. I think, though, that before you blame someone for something, you should try and find out the full truth,” Everyone began nodding as Farah gazed out upon the assembled student body. 

“So? Where were you? You don’t just say that and not tell us!” A brown haired specialist yelled.

“You didn’t ask. I was not here due to the fact that Rosalind snapped my neck,” Gently, she pulled the collar of her shirt down, revealing a thin white scar.

“It’s impossible. If she snapped your neck, you’d be dead, and you can’t bring back the dead,” This time it was a curly haired earth fairy that spoke up. 

“No. There is no way to bring the dead back to life. I knew Rosalind would come after me. She wanted Alfea, which I refused to give her. By combining an illusion with a fake amount of magical energy I was able to fool her. It is possible to empower your magical abilities, and if done properly, empower others. Mix that with a little bit of mind magic, and you have a cover. I was able to make Rosalind believe that she had put enough magic into her spell to effectively kill me. I created an illusion to make it appear that she had. Then I was free to do as I pleased without worrying about her,”

“So why didn’t you come back!” Someone yelled from the first row. 

“Can you fight with a half broken neck?” Farah replied skeptically, “I wasn’t able to escape the spell entirely. Along with that, I had no hope of beating her without a plan, and enough strength to do it. She has Solaria on her side along with Eraklyon. To challenge her outright would be both idiotic and a death wish. I needed to make a plan. Form a strategy. I would think that after all of your lessons with Headmaster Silva you would remember that. You don’t charge into battles without thinking. This brings us to the second topic for discussion. Rosalind has been driven from Alfea, but she isn’t dead. She will have a plan, and the army of Solaria to back her up. This means we can no longer rely on Solaria’s support in any way. I’m afraid that a battle is coming, whether we like it or not. Rosalind will not leave Alfea alone. I know that not all of you wish to partake in such an event, and you are not required to. I beg you, if you do not wish to be involved, inform me. We will plan intervals at which to access the portal and send you home. For those of you who choose to stay now, if you wish to leave in the future, we will be able to plan it out. I do not want anyone that doesn’t want to fight to stay. I can not stress this enough, we will not force you to fight,” Here she paused, making sure that everyone understood. With a deep breath she began again, “I know that some of you will not choose to leave, and we accept that choice as well. Classes for those who plan to fight will continue. We will be as prepared for the future as possible, I promise you. However, I can't promise that all of you will survive. It will be difficult. Schedules are going to change. But in the end I have every confidence that Alfea will prevail. You are strong. Some of the most powerful fairies and skilled specialists are in this room. We have the advantage. Rosalind works alone. Yes, she has followers, but she has no friends. We work together. Each one of you has formed bonds with others in this school. Alone, yes we would fail, but together, we will prevail! We are Alfea!” She pumped a fist in the air, Silva and Harvey following suit. 

“Alfea!” Echoed around the room as many students followed the teachers lead. Each voice was fueled by emotion. It wasn’t the hollow echo Rosalind managed to force out of them. 

The winx girls called in unison, “Alfea!” 

Once the chatter had died down again, Farah continued, “Let’s forget about the future for a while, shall we? The staff thought it best to throw a party, release tension,” the room burst into applause, “As an extra treat classes are also canceled for the rest of the day, and tomorrow. We will resume on Monday,” This brought more cheers, “Alright, calm down. Finish your meals and go get ready for goodness sake,” 

“Party time!” Terra yelled. 

“And Bloom’s gonna go with Sky this time, right? Stella said with a smirk. 

“Maybe?” 

_ “Bloom,” _

“What?” 

“What, what?” Aisha asked. 

“Oh. I thought someone said my name,” Bloom looked around. The courtyard was buzzing with conversation, but no one was looking at her. Sky was sitting across the hall with Sam and a few other specialists. 

“No one said your name Bloom,” Terra picked up another fry and ate it. 

_ “Bloom,” _

“Who’s saying my name? I could swear I heard it,” The other girls looked at her questioningly. 

_ “Relax Bloom. It’s Farah. I’ve opened a bond between our minds. You can talk through it whilst it’s maintained,”  _

“You can do that?” 

_ “Yes. You don’t have to talk out loud you know. Think what you want me to hear and I’ll hear it. Otherwise the rest of the girls are going to be more confused than they are now,”  _

“Bloom, are you good? Your acting really weird right now,” 

“Err, yea Stel. I’m fine,” Bloom smiled reassuringly before turning to look up at the head table. Farah was busy in conversation with Saul and Ben. 

_ “Can you still hear me?”  _ she thought.

After a second she heard a reply,  _ “Yes,”  _

_ “Was there a reason you reached out to me?” _

_ “I’m sorry if I startled you. I’m just testing what I can and can’t do right now,” _

_ “Why not test it on Silva or Harvey?” _

_ “I can’t have an understandable conversation with Saul in my mind unless it’s a life or death situation, and if Ben heard me in his head right now, he’d probably try to strangle me. I also wanted to get you used to the feeling. The spell is simple, but it can only be achieved with someone you are close to,” _

_ “That makes sense. I think,” _

Bloom heard a short laugh, and wasn’t sure where it came from,  _ “Did you just laugh? Can you laugh doing this?” _

_ “Yes. You can. As I said, think about what you want me to hear, and I’ll hear it,” _

_ “Ooook,”  _ There was a pause, and Bloom looked at Farah again. She was still talking with Saul and Ben. 

_ “When you're done with your lunch, would you come meet me please? We have to discuss tonight,” _

Bloom jumped,  _ “Um, yea,” _

_ “Right then. I’ve opened a bond, and it won’t go away. You can find it and call on it at any time. I’m going to close it for now, but you can open it yourself at any time in the future,” _

_ “Ok. Got it. Sort of,”  _

_ “We’ll work on it,” _

Bloom felt the quiet hum in her mind dissipate. 

“Bloom! Bloom! Earth to Bloom! Hello!” 

“Huh? Sorry, what were you saying Stel?”

Stella sighed in annoyance, “I was saying that tonight you get to learn to dress like a Princess. We’ll find outfits for all of you, and get you looking beautiful,”

“And we told her we could do it ourselves,” Aisha said, cutting Stella off. 

“But Stella insisted,” Musa added. 

“I get the point,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone didn't catch, or got confused, Farah can talk to others with her mind magic. There isn't going to be much more of that right now, but its important later! Hope you liked this chapter! Any grammatical errors you find are by mistake. Feel free to leave them in the comments!


	6. The Secret's Out!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for a party! Bloom and Farah decide to tell everyone about the new relationship, and do some more bonding!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't updated this in a couple of days, because I have some big school projects that had to be finished. I should be back to updating every day, or at least ever other day. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

“I get the point,” Farah stood up at the head table, and left through the door, “Look. I’ll meet you back in the suite in a bit. I’ve gotta, go, do, something,” She chuckled awkwardly and stood up. She felt the girl's eyes follow her as she sped out of the courtyard. She made it to the headmistress’s office in record time, minus the stop to say hi to Sky. She raised a hand to knock on the door, only to hit air. 

“That was fast.” 

“Wait, so you can talk to people in their heads, read thoughts, and move inanimate objects? You know, you’re scary. Cool scary, but scary,”

“Telekinesis. The use of magic to move objects with your mind. That’s not even half of what I can do love,” 

Bloom made her way over the chair, marveling at how quickly she had become comfortable around the mind fairy. Most of the furniture was back in its original position. The tables were gone, as were the photos of the Light Battalion. 

“So, you wanted to talk to me?” 

“Yes, I did,” Farah sighed and put down her pen. She crossed her arms in front of her and leaned slightly over the desk, “Bloom, I want you to be sure of your choice. I have enemies. Lots of them. For you to be openly related to me might put you and the people you love in danger. If someone were to get hurt because of me, I,” She dropped her head with a sigh, I can’t be the cause of someone’s death. Not again,” 

Bloom sighed in exasperation, “Look. I’m pretty sure that Rosalind is going to come after me anyway. She’ll come after my friends, because they’re going to stand by Alfea. Terra and Sam because of Professor Harvey, Stella because she won’t go back to Luna, Musa doesn’t want to go home. Sky’s here because of Silva, and Aisha isn’t leaving any time soon. And she’s already gone after you. I want people to know. I want to be a Dowling. I want to be able to cry and laugh with you, and not have people think it’s weird. And wasn’t it you who said that it’s Rosalind’s fault that people get hurt? Not you. Stop blaming yourself for everything,” She broke off, and silence encased the room. 

“Thank you for that,” Farah raised her head to smile at Bloom. She stood up, and walked towards the invisible door, “If you wouldn’t mind, give me one second,” Bloom nodded and she stepped out of sight. 

Bloom stared around the room for a bit, drumming a beat on her legs. She got bored pretty quickly, and upon spotting the scarlet book on a table to her left, she stood to retrieve it. She sat back down and flipped through to the place she had fallen asleep at. 

“You know, you can be very unaware of your surroundings,” Farah’s voice said in her left ear.

Bloom jumped, “Jeez. Ever heard of making noise?” 

“Yes. But the opportunity to scare you doesn’t come that often. You take what is offered to you,” 

With a snort, Bloom shut the book. She looked up at the older fairy, unamused. 

“Oh, don’t do that. Pouting is not a good trait. Anyway, close your eyes,”

“Why?” Bloom asked curiously.

Farah gave a good natured laugh, “Because I said so,” 

Obediently, Bloom closed her eyes. She felt Farah’s breath on the back of her neck as she brushed the red locks out of her way. A dull, cool sensation prickled along her neck, and she heard Farah step away.

“Alright, open,” Bloom opened her eyes. 

“Ok. What am I seeing?”

“Patience, love,” Farah muttered something that Bloom couldn’t hear, and the space in front of the pair began to shimmer, “Mix with light magic, and bingo,” A mirror had appeared, but it wasn’t a mirror. It swirled and shimmered, shining in the light. Tentatively, Bloom reached out towards it, and her hand went through. It was cool and damp, but soothing. Farah’s reflection grinned at her. 

“Mind magic?”

“Not quite. By materializing the water in the room into a disk shape, and reflecting the light off it just perfectly, I can create a mirror. It isn’t permanent, but it's a fun spell to cast. I’ll teach you some time,” She gestured at the reflection, and Bloom looked at herself. It took her longer than it probably should have to notice a silver heart pendant on a thin chain that hung around her neck. Three rubies were embedded, the largest in the middle, and the smallest at the top edge. The edges were twisted around and engraved like vines.

“It’s beautiful,” Bloom tore her eyes away from the pendant to watch Farah, who was gently pulling a chain from under her shirt. She had worn this necklace before, a simple long, black pendant on a silver chain. She touched the place on the pendant where it met the chain, and the pendant began to reshape itself. Soon enough it resembled Bloom’s. The largest gem was a deep purple, the second was lavender, and the third was crystal clear. She placed a finger on the largest gem, and the heart opened with a click. Bloom did the same. 

“It’s a locket,”

“Yes. I would have given it to you a long time ago, but things didn’t work out that way. I assume that they have been passed down generation to generation. They were the only possessions I had when Rosalind found me as a child. And this is wonderful,”

“What’s wonderful?”

“The locket will only open for a Dowling, and it opened perfectly fine for you. Any doubt that anyone has, can be subsided. Rosalind wasn’t lying, which means that your all mine,”

“Did you think she was lying?” Bloom turned to look at her as the mirror shimmered into non-existence.

“No. You really are very like I was,”

“Minus the crazy, impulsive, idiotic parts,”

Farah leaned forward over Bloom’s shoulder, “Mmm, see, that’s not entirely true. Ask Saul or Ben some time,” With a grin, she turned and walked back to her desk, “Don’t you have a party to prepare for? I’m certain Stella is dying to give you fashion advice,” 

“Definitely,”

“Then shoo. You have a party to prepare for!”

“Bye mum!” Bloom waved, left the room, and bolted for her suite. 

“Oh god, Stella’s gonna kill me,” She muttered to herself, silently laughing. 

  
  
  


“Ack! Stel, I’m sorry ok!” She ducked under another flying shoe.

“You spent half an hour travelling between destinations and another half hour with the Headmistress! Now we only have two hours to make you beautiful!”

“I think I could probably do that, in like, fifteen minutes,” She subsided as Stella turned to look at her. 

An hour and a half later, all the winx girls were about ready to go. It took a lot of yanking hair brushes and trying on dresses, but Stella had finally satisfied herself with their appearances and was adding the finishing touches. Terra’s light hair was down, framing her head and neck. She wore a dark green dress that had a high to low skirt, a pair of brown ankle boots, and a jacket that pulled the look together. Aisha wore a dark blue, floor length, off shoulder dress, that hugged her perfectly. The fabric was interwoven with shimmering silver threads that caught the light as she moved. Stella wore a pale yellow dress with a flowing white cape that connected to golden bands on her upper arms and wrists. She had braided her hair waterfall style, adorned it with small golden flowers. White strappy heels also had flowers. Musa wore a magenta, long sleeve dress with slits in the arms. The bodice had beautiful swirling silver designs, and her hair was in two long ponytails that reached her midriff. Bloom wore a mid thigh maroon dress, knee high black boots, and a black jacket. Her hair was half up, half down, and curled.

“Sam and Sky are gonna freak when they see you two! As for the rest of us, picking up a date shouldn’t be difficult,”

“I like being single Stel, thank you very much,” Aisha retorted. She made a face at the thought.

“Suit yourself. Terra and I will rock without you,” 

“Guys, if we don’t leave in the next five minutes we’re gonna be late. Stop bickering Stella, and hurry up. Ow!” Musa yelped as Stella gave her ponytail a particularly hard pull. 

“Fine. Let’s go then,” 

  
  
  


The courtyard had been redecorated at some point. Crystals floated in the air, lighting the space with an array of colors. Tables had been set up along the walls, and they were heavily laden with all sorts of treats. Soft music floated in the cool breeze. 

“Mmm, I smell chocolate!” Aisha grabbed Terra’s hand and pulled her to a buffet table. Stella had already left to mingle with the specialists, and Musa was already leading Sam out of the main courtyard. 

“And there’s my fairy,” Bloom grinned. 

“Hello my specialist. How are we doing today?” Sky swept her hand into his, and pulled her to the center of the courtyard. 

“Better with my fiery friend,” She smiled at him as he led into a waltz. 

“So, is the party going to stay this, um,”

“Boring? Depends on when the adults leave, among other factors,”

“Hey, I like to move. We all know this by now. I mean if you don’t then, I don’t know who you met,”

He twirled her out, grinning as she stumbled helplessly. She tripped and fell into him, and they burst into laughter.

“Not much of a dancer huh?”

“I can square dance, but I don’t think that counts,” 

“You’ll have to teach me sometime,”

Bloom gave him a wry grin, “If you ever want to lose a few toes, then come on over,” 

“Hard pass on the toes. 

The two made their way towards a quiet corner, drinks in hand. 

“So, how are things between you and Silva?”

“It’s fine. I blamed him for killing my dad in the first place, but now he’s alive, and. It’s complicated. Long story short, he’s more a dad then Andreas ever was and will be. What about you and Dowling? You’ve never quite gotten along with her,” 

“Yea. That’s what I wanted to talk about. Sky, I was there when mu-Dowling defeated Rosalind. Apparently Rosalind knew who my parents were from the beginning. Anyway, well. This is harder than I thought. Um. She’s. Dowling’s my mum,” Bloom searched Sky’s face for a reaction. 

“You know, you’re a lot like her. That’d make sense,” 

“Wow. That’s it? Even the girls had more to say about it,” 

“I dunno. I’m currently trying to decide whether you're my little sis now or not,” He grinned sillily at her. 

“We’ll stick with girlfriend. That's ok with you?” 

“Absolutely,” He leaned down and kissed her gently. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax into him. They broke a moment later and sat watching the dancers. Sky still had his arm around Bloom’s waist. 

Silva appeared a while later, dodging the dancing students. An eyebrow raised at Sky, “I’d be careful if I were you. Dowling’s already gone full mother mode. There is no doubt she’d beat you half to death with a feather duster if you hurt her,” 

“I would not!” Farah cried indignantly, shouldering her way to stand by Silva, “I’d certainly use something harder ,” 

“I speak from experience,” 

“I’m hesitant to ask, but mum, have you beaten him to death with a feather duster before,” 

“Of course not,” Bloom sighed in relief, “I used his runes book,” Sky burst into laughter as Farah smiled cheekily at Silva. Her hair was down and flipped to the side, long curls brushing her neck and arm. Her black, v-neck dress cinched at her waist and flowed down around her ankles. The skirt itself turned to mesh around her knees, and faded away to a deep purple. The back was long enough to drag slightly on the floor as she walked. She wore silver heels, and the silver locket that matched Bloom’s. Silva was dressed in a tux, with a crisp white undershirt, black slacks, and dress shoes. He had combed his hair to some extent, but it appeared he had given up trying about halfway. Both held some sort of drink. 

Gently, Bloom pulled away from Sky and stood up, “Are we ready to go?” 

“We might as well. The sooner I leave, the sooner the party will get exciting for them,” An arm gestured to the students waltzing around. Bloom would never say so, but she was correct. Half the students looked to be almost asleep. Silva shot Bloom a look, before gesturing to Sky. The two men headed across the room and out of sight. Farah turned on her heel and left for the platform at the head of the courtyard. A cool wave of magic washed over the room a moment later. The room turned in unison. 

“Hello everyone. Are we enjoying the party?”

Everyone replied enthusiastically, but the smile didn’t reach their eyes. 

“Yes, I figured as much. I have an announcement to make, and then I’ll be patrolling the barrier,” Some of the students in the back smiled at one another, and Bloom was pretty sure that the Headmistress was only pretending to have not seen it, “Rosalind ran Alfea before my ascent, as you all know. She also headed the Light Battalion, a group of elite fairies and specialists that tracked down and killed the burned ones. Headmaster Silva, Professor Harvey, and myself were all on this team. She did not tolerate failure of disobedience from anyone, and severely punished those who did. Now she is back and ready to continue what she started. Rosalind is a dangerous enemy, powerful and intelligent. I have no doubt she’s documented each and everyone of you. She knows your weaknesses and strengths and will use them to her advantage,”

“Great pep talk headmistress,”

She continued with a sigh, “I’m not trying to give you false hope Davis. I am merely trying to inform you. Sixteen years ago I betrayed Rosalind, and I was punished for it. My daughter, a baby at the time, was killed. Rosalind does not care about protecting the innocents. She will do whatever it takes to achieve her goal. Do not cross paths with her unless absolutely necessary,” 

The hall echoed as everyone began muttering to one another. Farah raised a hand to silence them. It took multiple tries and resulted in a very exasperated looking headmistress. Eventually she gave up and summoned her magic. Another wave of magic pulsed through the room. 

“Thank you. Now, I assume you all know Miss Bloom? Some very nasty rumors spread around at the beginning of the year,” Heads turned to her and she waved at them meekly, “I know that the rumors are still spreading, and I’d like to quell them immediately. Bloom, while being a changeling, belongs here as much as every single one of you. She has fought alongside you, laughed, and cried,” She signaled for Bloom to join her on the dais, wrapping an arm around her back once she approached, “I’d like to inform everyone that Bloom is my daughter. She is no longer a changeling, as changelings are children given willingly by their parents. Remember this in the oncoming battles. Currently you all stand by Alfea. However, when the time comes, if you join Rosalind’s forces and harm anyone from Alfea, you will have to deal with me. Leave or stay, but do not remain loyal until it counts and then cower. You have been warned. Now, let’s enjoy the night, shall we?” Farah shot the girl next to her a warm smile before stepping off the dais. Gradually the party kicked back into motion, much livelier than before. 

“That was underwhelming,” 

“Don’t worry love, you’ll hear about it in the morning. For now, just enjoy the party. I have to go,” 

“To patrol? Are Silva and Harvey going with?”

“No. They will stay here to monitor everyone and make sure nothing goes wrong,” 

“So you're going alone?”

“Yes. I believe so. Why is this so important to you,” Farah dragged Bloom away from the music a bit, so that their voices could be heard. 

“Aren’t you half dead still? I don’t think you should go alone,” 

“Do I look half dead?” She replied sarcastically, “Ben is a wonderful healer. I’m fine. Besides I don’t intend to do anything other than walk the perimeter and check up on the barrier. If I don’t leave Saul and Ben here, this is going to get way out of hand,” The fairies stared at each other, until Farah groaned in exasperation, “Fine! I’ll take someone with me. Does that work?” 

“Great. Let’s go,” 

“Hmm?”

“Where are we starting?” Bloom assumed Farah would protest so she turned and started towards the door, giving no choice but to follow. 

“Honestly! I said I’d find someone. Don’t you want to celebrate with your friends?” Farah called, catching up to her a moment later. 

“I want to spend time with my mum right now. I also want to make sure that she doesn’t hurt herself,” Farah felt a strong wave of protectiveness wash over Bloom, and couldn’t help but smile happily. 

“I say we finish this patrol and get somewhere warm then. Work for you?” She took the lead, striding across the dark lawn towards the specialist pond. 

“Perfectly. It’s kinda creepy out here,” 

They made it to the barrier in record time, and began walking the perimeter. They stopped every hundred yards or so and Farah connected with the barrier, strengthening and checking the surroundings. She became more and more tense as they drew farther away from the school. 

“Is something wrong?” Bloom asked quietly. 

“No. Nothing seems out of place. It’s just,” She struggled to find the words, “ It’s too, quiet,” The sounds of the party had faded away, and the night air pressed down on the pair. A breeze was picking up, and it was getting colder. 

“Isn’t quiet good? I mean if Rosalind attacks with an army, it won’t be quiet,” 

Farah crossed her arms and shivered slightly, both from cold and dread, “It isn’t Rosalind I worry about Bloom. If six burned ones targeted you, there are bound to be more coming,” 

“Oh,” 

“The barrier will hold them out, for the time being. Rosalind can’t come through, so she won’t be able to drain the stone circle again,” 

“Can we keep her out forever though?” 

“I don’t know. She used to be incredibly powerful, but I managed to trick her with a simple chain of spells. I was also able to face her head on, and didn’t receive nearly the amount of injuries I used to. Either she’s gotten weaker or her power isn’t fully charged for some reason,” They paused and Farah placed a hand on the barrier, eyes glowing white. 

“Or you got stronger. You said that yourself, in the forest. And you hadn’t seen her in like 16 years. In that amount of time, you’re bound to improve,”

“I guess,” She didn’t sound convinced. 

They continued around the barrier with little more discussion. It wasn’t until they were almost at the point farthest from the school when Farah broke the silence. 

“Bloom, I need to stop for a minute,” 

Bloom turned to look at her, concern and fear mixing on her face, “Are, are you ok? Should I go find Professor Harvey?”

“No, no! Please don’t do that. He’s already furious with me as it is,” With a groan she sank down onto one of the stone benches, “I’m fine really. Just worn out. I’ve been hiding in the forest with an illusion for the past three weeks, keeping a spell like that active for so long. And this stupid thing is acting up,” She gestured angrily at her ankle, which was starting to swell. With a flick of her hand, she summoned and uncorked a little bottle filled with purple liquid and took a gulp. An involuntary shudder escaped her, “It couldn’t taste any better could it?” 

“I dunno. I’ve never tried it,” 

“Lucky you. Keep it that way,” She pushed herself back up and held out a hand for Bloom, who had sat down next to her, “I’ll finish the patrol in the morning. The barrier is strong, so I don’t think we need to worry about unexpected surprises,” 

Bloom took her hand and smiled, “Good. Let’s get back to Alfea. It’s cold and dark and I’m tired. Kind of a creepy vibe going on right now,” 

“I agree completely,” The fairies took a shortcut through the maze where the specialists trained, moving slowly due to Farah’s ankle. Eventually the castle lights became visible and Bloom let out a breath she hadn't realized she’d been holding as they walked up the steps and through the doors. 

“Well, everyones still partying,”

“Lovely analysis Bloom. I couldn’t tell,” And both burst into laughter. The music was much more lively than when the pair had left, and no staff members could be seen. Farah quickly moved out of sight, and started towards her office. 

“Avoiding the party are we?”

“Not exactly. More or less avoiding Ben at the moment,” The pair slipped through the door into silence. 

“He’s just trying to help,”

“Yes. I realize that. However I don’t need him poking and prodding and complaining about my well being 24 seven. I’m perfectly capable of knowing how I’m doing without that,” 

“Ok then. Get some sleep, please. I’m gonna go to bed,” She hugged the mind fairy quickly, and started back towards the door. 

“Goodnight Bloom,”


	7. Scheduling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some fun moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this chapter is short, but I'm leading into something that needs to be in the same chapter. ;)

Bloom didn’t hear the girls enter the suite that night, and was amazed to find that she woke up before Aisha. She took the advantage to get revenge. 

“Hey, Aisha,” She whispered. 

Aisha mumbled groggily and opened her eyes slightly.

“Whatcha need?” She stated slowly.

“Just some lovely revenge,” Before Aisha could process what she had said, she was being attacked by a dark blue pillow.

“Ack! Bloom, stop it!” She cried, covering her head with her hands. 

“Ok. All done,” Bloom grinned at her as she plopped down on the bed.

“You’re mental aren’t you? What was that for,” 

“Well, it’s like 8:30 and I was up earlier than you so. And then it was a bit of revenge mixed in, because you do that, like, all the time,” 

“Only when you won’t get up,” She got out of bed and began picking out clothes. Eventually she settled on a white top, black jeans, and a blue jacket. She yawned and started toward the bathroom.

“What time did you guys get in last night anyway?” Bloom called after her.

“2:30. Where were you?” Aisha called back, her voice muffled by the door. 

“I went to patrol with mum, and then came back and went to bed,” She picked out a pair of blue jeans, a yellow top, and a jean jacket, and put them on. She was already seated on the bed again when Aisha emerged, ready for the day. 

“You went to patrol? She actually let you?”

“Well, yes. I didn’t give her much choice though,” They entered the common room, where Musa and Terra were sitting. 

“Stella’s still getting ready, then we’ll head down to breakfast. You guys coming with?” 

“Coffee. Then a nap,” Terra yawned. 

“For once I’m the only one awake. This is like so unusual, I’m freaking out right now,” 

“You came back early last night. We didn’t even see you!” An accusing voice called from behind them. 

“Morning Stella,” 

The light fairy gave a haughty snort and sat down beside Musa. 

“She went on patrol with Ms. Dowling,”

“Oooh. Any juicy info?”

“Nothing Stel. It was a quiet night,” Too quiet, she thought, remembering Farah’s unease. 

“Whatever, let’s just go,” Musa paused, yawning, “I’m hungry and tired, and the emotions in the school are making me angry,”

“Poor hangry tired Musa. Let’s get her unhangry,” 

“Hangry?” 

“Don’t question it,” Bloom said, grinning, “Come on,” The girls shot one another looks, and followed the over eager fairy out the door. 

Breakfast was a laid back affair. Only a quarter of the student was actually present, and Headmistress Dowling sat alone at the head table. She seemed very interested in the paperwork strewn across the table, and wasn’t watching the students at all. However, when the girls walked in, she looked up to watch them intently. Bloom gave a small wave, which she returned, before returning to her work. 

“Pancakes or omelets girls?”

“Pancakes please, and coffee,” Terra told her. 

“Pancakes and tea for me please,” Musa added her order. The rest of the girls collected their food and sat down at a nearby table. Aisha, Terra, and Stella immediately filled their cups with coffee and downed them. Bloom and Musa had tea. 

“Ah. That’s better. Now I’m half awake,” Stella summoned her fork and knife, and had them begin chopping up her pancakes. 

“Still taking a nap later though,” 

“You can take a nap later Terra. Right now, you’re going to fish eating, and come talk to Farah and I,”

Terra spun around, “Da. What do you mean?”

“Morning to you too,” He lent down and placed a kiss on Terra’s forehead, “I mean exactly what I said. You heard me,” 

“Now what does that mean?” Terra asked once he was out of earshot again. They watched him sit down at the head table, and push some of the papers aside. Farah grinned at him and summoned them all into a neat pile in front of her. 

“Apparently they want to see us,”

“No duh, Musa,” 

“Hey! My brain’s fried because I stayed at that stupid party with you until way late last night!” The mind fairy shot back angrily. 

“It’s not my fault! You could’ve left but you were snogging my brother half the night!”

“Guys! Stop bickering will you? Usually neither of you care about this. Jeez!” Bloom shoved a hand between them. Both looked at their laps.

“Sorry Ter. I just have an awful headache from last night's emotion fest,” 

“I know. I didn’t mean to get snappy. Honestly you and Sam are perfect for each other. We might even be sister in laws one day!” This statement caused Musa to blush.

“Yes! Musa Harvey. Has a nice ring to it!” Musa chucked a piece of pancake at Stella, blushing darker. It hit its mark, and Stella yelped in disgust, “My hair! Musa! Syrup takes forever to fully wash out,”

“Poor Stella,” Aisha taunted. 

Stella glared at her and began picking pancake bits out of her hair. After Aisha gave a particularly loud snort, Stella whipped around and chucked a piece at her. The water fairy ducked around it and grinned. 

“Guys. Eat your food so we can go see what they want,” Terra said impatiently. She had immediately begun shoveling her food after Ben’s interruption. 

“Ok impatient,” 

Ten minutes later the girls were discarding their trays and heading to the head table. Most of the students had wandered away, only a couple of specialists sat in the corner. Farah was still immersed in her papers. 

“You wanted to see us?” Bloom said quietly. 

Ben nodded, then hissed, “Farah!” 

“Hmm? What?” She looked up and smiled, “Oh, girls! Yes, we did,” 

“Obviously,” Stella muttered, subsiding as Terra kicked her in the shin. 

“Alright. Quiet down. After careful consideration, Ben and I decided to extend this offer to you. We’d like to train you in your powers, one on one. Each of you has the potential to be an extremely powerful fairy, and Rosalind knows it. Therefore she will no doubt come after you five,” 

“So like tutoring?” 

“Not really. We would be focusing on your specific talent, instead of the base to your magic. For example, Bloom would be working on understanding and connecting to her flame. Terra, you can give life, something that will be very beneficial if practiced. Musa, you are an empath, and excel in projecting emotions on a small scale. We need to tap into your power and widen your range. Aisha, your water magic is very powerful, and your ability to control it is wonderfully precise. You have to work on being able to take small portions of your magic and use them in different places at the same time. And Stella, you need to work on confidence. You have extraordinary talent, quite possibly more than your mother, but you are holding yourself back because you fear you’ll mess it up,” 

“In other words, we want to teach you similarly to the way Rosalind was having one on one lessons with you,” 

“Not using her techniques of course,” Farah added hastily. 

“No. Not at all,” Ben assured. 

“Girls, Rosalind is going to come after you, and you need to be able to fight her. We know how she thinks, she’s going to go after Stella, Terra, and Bloom because of their affiliations. You two,” She pointed at Aisha and Musa, “Have talent, and Rosalind loves that. She’s going to go for you as well. We just want you to be prepared,” 

“Alright. Sounds good. You in?” Terra turned to face the rest of the suite. She stuck out a hand.

“I’m in Ter,” Musa placed her hand on top of Terra’s and looked at the remaining girls. 

“I won’t go back to my mother, ever,” Stella added her hand. 

“I'm with you guys,” Aisha looked at Bloom. 

“I’m not losing anyone to Rosalind ever again. Let’s do this!” Bloom placed her hand on top, and they grinned at each other. 

The adults smothered smiles of their own and stood up. 

“So mum, when do we begin?”

“Right now. Terra, Aisha, you two are going to practice with Ben today. The lesson will be shorter than usual, to get you used to it. Stella, Musa, Bloom, you three are with me,” 

“We’ll reconvene in Farah’s office in an hour or two. Bloom, take those,” He pointed at the stack of papers that Farah was picking up. Bloom snatched them out of her arms, much to Farah’s displeasure. She said nothing about it though. 

“Alright you three, let’s go,” 

Ten minutes later had them standing in the middle of Farah’s office. The couches had been placed in an alcove on the left, their permanent home, and the desk sat across from the door as usual. 

“Right then. Shall we begin?” Each girl nodded slightly. 

“Ben and I will be assessing you tomorrow, so keep in mind today is just an example of what training will be like. I trust each one of you will do your best, but that isn’t enough. You need to trust yourself, your friends, and me. If you don’t, it isn’t going to work out how you want. So I must ask, do you trust me?”

To everyone’s surprise, it was Stella who spoke first, “Yes. I trust you. I trust you because you’ve never led me astray, no matter what the problem. I trust you because you believe in me, even when, others, don’t,” Farah nodded, and smiled a silent thanks to the light fairy. 

“I trust you too, because you brought me somewhere safe, protected me, cared about me, and asked for literally nothing in return. Even though I screwed your life up so much the past few months,” Bloom spoke quietly, but firmly. 

“I‘ve felt what you feel, and I know that you care about everyone here at Alfea. I trust you, because I know that you won’t give up without a fight. No matter what happens, you’re going to protect us,” 

“Thank you, girls,” Farah said quietly once Musa had finished, “That means more than you know. Now, I’d like each of you to reach out with your magic, not your sight Bloom, your magic. Find something behind you, and move it,” 

Musa’s eyes glowed purple, and a book soared off the shelf to land in her outstretched hand. Stella took a bit longer, but eventually found a light switch, turning off the lights in the loft. Bloom took a breath and shut her eyes. She felt her magic slide down through the floor and pool out, searching for something to move. Nothing felt right. Then she found it. 

“Ah ha!” She opened her eyes and flipped the switch to a tiny music player. A sweet melody filled the room.


End file.
